Active Noise Cancellation in Toyota Hybrid
Noise cancellation is a technology of which I wholeheartedly approve. After suffering through years of earplug use in college and grad school, I was gifted with an early generation set of noise-canceling headphones that, combined with a brick of a portable CD player, got me through the final years of my education and life as a hive-dwelling apartment denizen.
Noise and its relationship to emerging vehicle technologies is actually fascinating. Electric car makers, for instance, are trying to find ways to put some sound back into the driving experience as early adopters report being disconcerted by the silence of their uber-clean vehicles. Conversely, the new Toyota Crown hybrid (to be released in Japan this year) is equipped with a trio of microphones designed to hone in on engine noise that is then cancelled out by speakers (one in each front door) and a woofer (in the back) projecting anti-phase variations of the noises at the height of the occupants’ heads. Reputedly the system, creatively called, Active Noise Control, does not interfere with your tunes or conversation.
That’s the first I’ve heard of such targeted noise dampening and Toyota claims impressive results, a 5 to 8db reduction. Certainly anyone who has ever driven a Lexus knows that the engineers at Toyota are pretty skilled at tamping down road noise. It’s a pretty delicate balance, in my opinion. Cut down the racket that can make drivers tired and irritable while keeping the level that ensures they are alert and engaged, not lulled into a crash-inducing nap at the wheel.
I have hyper-acute hearing and am easily driven to nervous exhaustion by low-level repetitive tones to which others are blissfully unaware. Yes, I’m that annoying driver who will add six hours to the trip stopping to figure out “what’s rattling” in the back. This active system seems a better option than more physical approaches in the vehicle construction. A big part of better fuel economy is overall weight reduction, so Toyota seems right on target with their approach to giving drivers like me some peace and quiet.