Nissan LEAF ‘Dream Drive’ is world-first ‘zero-emission’ lullaby designed for electric vehicles

2020/02/11

‘Hypnotic’ soundscape soothes young children to sleep with same frequencies of combustion engines

• Half of UK parents (51%) resort to a ‘dream drive’ to send babies and toddlers to sleep
• To optimise dream driving in electric vehicles in the absence of familiar frequencies from combustion engines, Nissan engineers dreamt up a zero-emission lullaby with Sound Designer and Sleep Coach Tom Middleton
• Nissan becomes the first-ever musical streaming artist with Nissan LEAF Dream Drive collaboration

LONDON, UK (February 11, 2020) – Nissan has created a world-first lullaby specifically designed for electric vehicles to help parents send their young children to sleep, in the absence of the sleep-inducing frequencies produced by internal combustion engines.

Designed in collaboration with Sound Designer and Sleep Coach Tom Middleton, the ‘Dream Drive’ lullaby blends sounds of the Nissan LEAF with frequencies produced by a humming combustion engine to create a hypnotic soundscape to help send young children to sleep in the car.

Over half (51%) of UK parents use ‘dream driving’ – the act of setting out in the car specifically to get a child to sleep – with two thirds (62%) doing this once a week.*

Parents spend an average of between 20 and 25 minutes on a ‘dream drive’, with the average distance covered on a single outing being around five miles. Not only do these trips produce additional carbon emissions (around 70kg of CO₂ per family per year**), but the annual fuel bill of all ‘dream driving’ parents in the UK is estimated to be more than £33.5 million. ***

Around 70% of parents believe it’s the movement of the vehicle that sends their child to sleep, but research reveals the soothing sound frequencies of internal combustion engines are also a major contributor to children nodding off in the car.

As increasing numbers of drivers switch to zero-emission electric vehicles – with 70% of parents now wanting to be good environmental role models for their children – Nissan identified a challenge to ensure parents can still utilize the ‘dream drive’ technique to get their child to sleep, without the carbon cost of a combustion engine.

According to expert Paul Speed-Andrews, Noise and Vibration development manager at Nissan; “Although an electric vehicle like the Nissan LEAF is a more environmentally considerate choice for ‘dream driving’; the quiet soundscape of an EV might not be as effective as internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Combustion engines transmit a sound frequency, a combination of white, pink and brown noise varied in tone – creating an orchestral soundscape that is especially soothing and comforting to young children.”

In collaboration with Sound Designer and Sleep Coach Tom Middleton, Nissan has dreamt up the Nissan LEAF ‘Dream Drive’, the world’s first ‘zero-emission lullaby’. Made up of five three-minute tracks, the soundscape mimics the peaceful audio frequencies of a humming combustion engine, but without the carbon cost.

Tom and Nissan’s engineers identified the differences between EV and combustion vehicles through simulated drives and frequency visualisations. This enabled them to pinpoint what sounds and frequencies send babies and young children to sleep. The findings were that combustion engines emit a wider range of ‘hypnotic’ frequencies compared to EVs.

A combustion engine creates a complex mix of sound waves, frequencies and harmonic overtones (higher notes), generated by the sound of the engine, tyres on the road and air moving around the car.

These sounds are similar to the frequencies in a string orchestra, generating a mixture of white, pink and brown noise frequencies.

Ari Peralta, an interdisciplinary researcher, analysed data captured by Nissan to identify the white, pink and brown noise frequencies emitted by combustion engines, but which were missing from the Nissan LEAF.

The types of noise frequencies include:

• White Noise – broadly spread across the sound spectrum, including low frequency, midrange, and high frequency sounds
• Pink Noise – louder at the low-frequency end of the spectrum, and softer at the high end
• Brown Noise – even deeper, even stronger, at the low end and without the high frequency sounds of white and pink noise who helped provide insight on the project

Using the data results, Tom Middleton and Ari Peralta recorded all the individual interior and exterior sound effects of a Nissan LEAF and Nissan Qashqai at Nissan Technical Centre Europe in a semi-anechoic chamber. The recordings included all of the elements you may hear on a typical drive, such as:

• Keys
• Indicator
• Air Conditioning
• Engine start up
• Seats
• Fabrics
• Interior material texture sounds
• Accelerating & decelerating
• On the road live recordings

Combining the recordings, Tom turned the Nissan LEAF and Nissan Qashqai into an orchestra and created a dream drive optimised album, with powerful lulling effects for babies and young children.

The Nissan LEAF ‘Dream Drive’ lullaby captures the frequencies and sounds heard during a journey in a combustion engine vehicle, to ensure the lullaby doesn’t stop, even when the vehicle does.

Parenting expert Elizabeth O’Shea added; “One of the biggest worries new parents have is how to get their baby to sleep. Parents soon realise that taking a drive in the car or ‘dream driving’ is a great way to get a baby or young child to nod off.”

“But how interesting that it’s the sound frequencies of a combustion engine, rather than the movement, that helps children fall asleep. With the 100% electric Nissan LEAF, environmentally aware parents now have a simple, guilt-free solution to gently lull their little ones to sleep.”

Dream driving in a Nissan LEAF could also help make the experience more relaxing for parents. Zero exhaust emissions and the car’s e-Pedal functionality aid in a smoother ride, allowing seamless driving and braking with a single pedal.

In addition, ProPILOT Assist significantly reduces driver stress during highway driving and makes dream driving at night more comfortable and safer. It helps the vehicle maintain a steady speed, keep a safe distance away from other cars and remain within the vehicle lane.

Parents can connect their smartphone to their Nissan LEAF through Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, to enjoy the lullaby available on platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube and Deezer.  

Listen to the zero-emission lullaby on the following streaming platforms: https://lifetracks.lnk.to/NissanLEAFDreamDrive 
  
Learn more about 100% Electric Nissan LEAF on: https://www.nissan.co.uk/vehicles/new-vehicles/leaf.html

Download the MP3 Sound File: Nissan LEAF Dream Drive – the zero-emission lullaby (continuous mix).mp3

Supporting Quotes:

Tom Middleton, Sound Designer & Sleep Coach: “Nissan’s zero-emission lullaby combines early auditory development research with creative strategy and is inspired by the audible and inaudible sounds of the Nissan LEAF,” said Sound Designer. “In addition to the combustion engine frequencies that only children can hear – which help lull them to sleep – every sound you can hear comes from building an orchestra of sounds and rhythms from interior and exterior recordings of the LEAF.”

“Together with Nissan, we are finding innovative, health and safety-conscious ways to apply functional sound within EVs that goes beyond the vehicle itself, effectively inspiring a new generation of purpose-driven, human-first car design and functionality.”

Ari Peralta, Interdisciplinary Researcher: “The Nissan Dream Drive depicts the future of using sound and other sensory elements to improve people’s lives, bringing together multisensory science, immersive technologies and sound design to explore new wellness-led opportunities within mobility.”

Parents can connect their smartphone to their Nissan LEAF through Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, to enjoy the lullaby available on platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube and Deezer.

Nissan LEAF Dream Drive – the zero-emission lullaby | Album Commentary

The album contains a combination of sounds heard whilst driving a Nissan LEAF and Nissan Qashqai:

Introduction

• Establishes the car sounds that are integrated into the main track (fastening seat belt, starting, reversing, accelerating, etc.), however this isn’t part of the official lullaby and won’t affect babies and young children

Part 1: Cosy and Wrapped

• Backing 'choir': all sounds from intro
• 'Harp': door opening warning sound plus the backing track and added engine and road noise
• Guest soloist: launch sound

Part 2: Heavy Eyes, Smooth Driving

• Backing 'choir': all sounds from intro
• 'Xylophone': reversing tone and indicator click
• 'Strings' made from reversing tone, 'church organ' made with proximity sensor sounds
• Guest soloist: launch sound

Part 3: Drifting Off

• Backing 'Choir': all sounds from intro
• 'Strings': reversing tone
• 'Church Organ': proximity sensor sounds

Part 4: Sound Asleep

• Backing 'Choir': all sounds from intro
• 'Strings': reversing tone
• 'Harmonium': indicator tone

Part 5: Dreaming and Goodnight

• Backing 'Choir': all sounds from intro
• Guest soloist: rear windscreen wiper

### ENDS ###

* Responses from a survey of 1500 UK consumers conducted in November 2019 by Explain the Market and commissioned by Nissan.

** This was calculated on the assumption that vehicle travels at an average speed of 30mph per 15-minute dream drive, once a week:

• Average g/km for LEAF-sized, lower medium segment car: 111.5g/km
  • https://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/publications
    /2018_04_CO₂_emissions_cars_The_facts_report_final_0_0.pdf
• Distance travelled in 1 minute, based on the above: 800 metres
• Grams of CO₂ emitted in 1 minute, based on the above: 89.2g
• Amount of CO₂ emitted on average, with 780 minutes of dream driving per year = 69,576g (69.576kg)

*** This was calculated as follows:

• 2,943,368 (0-3) year olds in UK (75% of 0-4 year olds)
  • https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/uk-demographics/#age-structure
• 1,501,117 – 51% of (0-3) year olds requiring Dream Driving
  • 48,396,026 – 62% driven once per week
  • 3,242,414 – 18% driven once per month
  • 330,246 – 11% driven once in six months
  • 135,101 – 9% driven once a year
    • 52,103,786 Total Dream Drives (per year)
• 474,144,451 – Total Dream Drive km (average journey of 9.1km)
• 26,552,089 – Total Dream Drive Fuel Consumption (litres)
  • (Average UK new car economy of 5.6l/100km)
  • https://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/environment#a23
• £33,519,358 - Total Dream Drive Fuel Cost (£)
  • Average of 126.24ppl (https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/fuel-watch/)

MEDIA CONTACT

Terry Steeden
Corporate & Product Media Manager
Terry.Steeden@nissan.co.uk

About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 16,000 staff across locally based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. In 2018, Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced about 600,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF, Europe’s most selling electric vehicle in 2018. Pursuing a goal of zero emissions and zero fatalities on the road, Nissan is leading the field with its vision of Intelligent Mobility. Designed to guide Nissan’s product and technology pipeline, this 360 degree approach to the future of mobility will anchor critical company decisions around how cars are powered, how cars are driven, and how cars integrate into society.

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2018, the company sold 5.52 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.6 trillion yen. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance sold 10.76 million vehicles combined in calendar year 2018.

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