DTM Electric is a new one-make category that could join the DTM support bill by 2025 and is based on an under-development prototype capable of producing 1000bhp and reaching speeds up to 300km/h.
After two previous demonstration runs in the last two years, the car will again be shown to the public at the Red Bull Ring from Friday-Sunday, this time equipped with a special sound-generating technology.
The idea is to not mimic the sound of a combustion engine or take cues from science fiction. Instead, the DTM Electric is supposed to closely resemble the sound of an electric motor, but with certain tweaks to make it more appealing to trackside spectators.
Whether the race cars will actually sound like this when the championship makes its debut is yet to be evaluated, according to a statement from DTM.
“We are developing the automotive sound of the future,” said Dr. Jochen Schroder, head of the e-mobility division at Schaeffler. “While doing so, we have developed the sound really close to the physics of an electric engine, but even cooler yet.”
The DTM Electric vehicle will feature a special software this weekend that will combine real-time data with a sound profile developed by Schaeffler specifically for this project. This soundtrack has been modeled on an actual electric motor.
As the car speeds up or brakes, the software will adapt the pitch and the volume of the sound already saved in the system.
The sound will then be transmitted via an amplifier to coils in the vehicle which will cause the body to vibrate. It is this vibration that will allow fans to hear the sound of the car, and it means that the Schaeffler won’t have to employ a traditional loudspeaker system.
“What has initially succeeded in the laboratory and is to be taken to the track at Red Bull Ring is absolutely breath-taking,” said Michael Resl, director competition & technology at ITR.
“Schaeffler has succeeded in developing a sound system that takes into account the high performance potential of the DTM Electric cars and gives the cars an appropriate soundscape.”
Sophia Floersch, who raced in the DTM last year with Abt Audi and is an ambassador for DTM Electric's official partner Schaeffler, has been tasked with driving the demo car this weekend.
