Ford has released details of the premium audio system available on the Mustang Mach-E, which has been developed in conjunction with B&O, part of Harman.
The company said that an externally coupled subwoofer (ECS) uses the cabin’s unique shape to produce powerful bass performance, despite being around half the weight of a traditional subwoofer and taking up around 80% less space. The weight saving is just one of the measures Ford says it has taken to help the Mustang Mach-E achieve a targeted WLTP driving range of up to 600km (more than 370 miles) in rear-wheel drive configuration.
As electric vehicles are inherently quieter due to a lack of noise from a traditional internal combustion engine, this reveals new sources of noise that are usually muffled. This was something Ford says Harman’s engineers overcame while leveraging the opportunities of a quiet EV cabin – preserving rich bass performance and maintaining clarity and detail.
The company said the audio system tuning also makes the most of the spoken voice, which helps audiobooks to be more immersive, gives phone calls extra clarity and, with the growing trend of drive-in cinemas, can even convey the rich range of sounds in movies with high quality. Mach-E’s infotainment system even has integrated apps for podcasts.
The audio system installation has also had an impact on the interior styling, specifically through the use of a textile covering for the dashboard mounted speakers, which mimics that of B&O’s home Hi-Fi systems while still being durable enough for use in a vehicle.
