Automotive News Canada - April 2023 - 6

6
* APRIL 2023
PROJECT ARROW'S
SPEAKERLESS AUDIO
A SONIC
BOON
Used in aviation, the
technology vibrates the
panels within a vehicle
instead of using traditional
speaker-cone structures
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
IT'S LIKELY NO SECRET THAT THE
Automotive Parts Manufacturers'
Association (APMA) named its
new electric vehicle prototype after
Canada's ill-fated Avro Arrow jet interceptor
of the 1950s. But that's not the
only thing Project Arrow borrowed
from aviation.
The vehicle's sound system, which
pumps out resounding audio without
traditional components such as woofers
and tweeters, relies on technology that
first found its niche aboard private jets.
It could find broader adoption in EVs.
Joseph Butera, chief technology officer
at Bongiovi Acoustic Labs, said
Project Arrow is the first vehicle to
incorporate his company's speakerless
audio systems from the " ground up. "
A few automakers have tried going
speakerless, Butera said, but " no one's
really gone all the way. "
Traditional speakers have a cone that moves
air to create the pressure waves we know as
sound. Bongiovi's system skips the cone, relying
instead on an electronic device called a
transducer, akin to the componentry found
behind the cones of conventional speakers.
The ripple-patterned panels on Project
Arrow's doors mark roughly where
Bongiovi's transducers are recessed.
The benefit for EVs is more sound
with less mass and tighter packaging.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
As opposed to moving
cones, the 14 transducers
in Project Arrow vibrate
panels within the vehicle
to push and pull air to create
sound.
" It has the effect of, like,
30 speakers, but there's
only technically six moving
panels, " Butera said.
SMALL SPACE, BIG SOUND
Within Project Arrow,
Bongiovi's transducers are
nestled behind two panels
in the dashboard as well
as panels on all four doors.
Most of the higher-frequency
sounds come from the
panels in the dash, Butera
said, while the transducers
in the doors generate much
of the deeper bass.
" You only need to move
[the panel] a little bit, so
you don't feel it vibrating, "
he said. " But you can push
the same amount of sound
as a six-inch speaker
by moving it a
lot less. "
Project
Butera: The
Arrow's
speakerless
audio " has
the effect
of, like, 30
speakers,
but there's
only
technically
six moving
panels. "
FILE PHOTO
Arrow made its
Canadian debut
at the Canadian
International
AutoShow
in February.
Thousands of
attendees listened
to the vehicle's
sound system, said
APMA President
Flavio Volpe, and
none could have
guessed it was all
done without traditional
speakers.
Florida-based
Bongiovi Acoustics
Labs was founded
by Tony Bongiovi, a record
producer and sound engineer
and a cousin of musician
Jon Bon Jovi.
The company's speakerless
audio system relies in
part on its patented Digital Power
Station technology, which uses
an algorithm to process and optimize
audio in real time. Bongiovi is
working with EV makers in China
that are using its audio processing
technology, but Project Arrow is
the speakerless system's first real
leap into automotive.
The technology is used in aviation,
having carved out a market
among manufacturers of private
jets for its weight savings and exterior
noise reduction. Those benefits
resonate increasingly with automakers
and parts suppliers as the
industry goes electric.
" Speakerless sound helps with
that overall philosophy of lightweighting
the car, " Volpe said.
Instead of trying to increase the
size of battery packs, he said, innovations
such as Bongiovi's will add
range to the next generation of EVs
without sacrificing sound quality.
Bongiovi's system is about half
the weight of the sound system in
a typical family vehicle, while providing
far better sound, Butera said.
And because the speakerless system
uses only transducers, the cavities
in typical vehicle doors that house
speaker cones are eliminated, cutting
down on road noise, he said.
On cost, Butera said the speakerless
system is comparable to the
traditional audio systems in vehicles
today.
DEVELOPMENT FOR THE ARROW
Bongiovi became involved
in Project Arrow through an
auto technology partnership
with Ontario Tech University in
Oshawa, Ont. The team also worked
closely with suppliers that built
panels for the prototype's doors and
dashboard to ensure the transducers
functioned as expected.
As with the rest of Project
Arrow, Bongiovi's contributions
were pieced onto the vehicle at
Ontario Tech, although the transducers
were made in China.
Project Arrow has a series
of public and private showings
booked, including those with automakers
interested in its technologies.
Butera
said he hopes the technological
showpiece will accelerate
conversations with prospective
automotive customers, though he
does not expect an overnight shift
to speakerless vehicles.
" All the traditional manufacturers
are very conservative when it
comes to adopting new technology, "
Butera said. " A lot of times, they
shy away from innovation themselves
because they don't know how
to manage that well. "
Bongiovi Acoustic Labs, through a technology partnership with Ontario
Tech University, worked closely with suppliers that built the dash and
door panels of Project Arrow to ensure the transducers functioned
properly. SUPPLIED PHOTO
The Bongiovi team is talking
with both automakers and Tier 1
suppliers about incorporating the
technology in next-generation EVs,
Butera said. - ANC
TRENDING
STORIES
automotivenews.ca
ONGOING WEB COVERAGE
IRA SOURCING RULES
Battery-component and critical-mineral sourcing requirements
of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act will take effect in April. It will
shift where automakers make batteries and electric vehicles,
meaning Canada can potentially cash in on the new rules.
It'INTEREST, ECONOMY, INVENTORY
s not certain how higher borrowing costs and a potential recession
could impact vehicle sales. If the effect is negative, and inventory
increases, automakers could bump incentives to move metal.
THE END OF VW'S ICE GOLF IS IN SIGHT
VOLKSWAGEN'S NEXTPHOTO:
VOLKSWAGEN
generation Golf will not have an
internal combustion engine. The
current gasoline-powered model
will get a comprehensive update
for 2024, however. " That puts it in
a great position until the end of the
decade. Then we will have to see
how the segment develops, " VW brand boss Thomas Schaefer
said. The Golf will retain its name for a battery-electric vehicle.
NEW MICHIGAN PLANT TO SUPPLY GM
MAGNA SEATING IS PLANNING A 300,000-SQUARE-FOOT
(28,000-square-metre) plant with 500 new jobs in suburban
Detroit near the Orion
Assembly Plant of its customer,
General Motors. Magna will
operate the plant as the " exclusive
supplier " to " all the electric
SUVs and trucks " produced at
Orion Assembly, said a project
description in an Auburn Hills,
Mich., planning commission document. Magna will spend
US $100 million (about $135 million Cdn) on the plant.
SOFTWARE EXPECTED TO UNLOCK BIG BUCKS
STELLANTIS IS LOOKING TO GENERATE MORE REVENUE
through vehicle software in the years ahead. The automaker said
any such premium services will provide value. The company
expects to capture US $21.6 billion in annual revenue from vehicle
software by 2030, and is thinking of innovative ways to make
this happen. For example, Stellantis might sell software to increase
horsepower, said Mamatha Chamarthi, Stellantis' chief business
growth officer, software experience.
THE TRANSIT CONNECT IS NOT CONNECTING
FORD WILL DISCONTINUE THE TRANSIT CONNECT SMALL
van in North America after the 2023 model year. The automaker
said the decision stemmed from
the company's " efforts to reduce
global manufacturing cost and
complexity, alongside decreased
demand for the compact van segment. "
The move comes as other
automakers also stop selling vans.
Ram said last year it would end
production of the ProMaster City
van, and General Motors and
PHOTO: FORD
Nissan have also dropped their small vans in recent years.
GM TO SWITCH TO GOOGLE INFOTAINMENT
GENERAL MOTORS
plans to phase out Apple
CarPlay and Android Auto
technologies in favour of
built-in infotainment systems
developed with Google. The
decision could help the automaker
capture more data on
how consumers drive and
charge EVs. The new system
will debut in the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer. - ANC
PHOTO: GENERAL MOTORS
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Automotive News Canada - April 2023

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