Nissan Is Developing a Lighter and More Effective Sound Insulation Material

While keen drivers may appreciate a throaty engine note, their passengers would possibly prefer lower levels of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). To achieve that, key areas In a modern car would be padded with sound-deadening material for a comfortable ride.

Adding those insulation materials would inadvertently add weight and affect fuel consumption and handling. To solve this, Nissan has developed a new material called acoustic meta-material that weighs a quarter of conventional heavy rubber boards.  

The recipe is simple, the lattice structure is covered with a thin plastic film, when noise hits the material, it bounces back - effectively reducing the noise that penetrates the material. 

This material is developed to reduce road noise in the cabin of Nissan’s electric vehicles, because without engine sound, road noise is even more noticeable. The material would help future electric vehicles achieve better driving performance and electric mileage. 

The new material is currently under development for commercialisation, and is recently awarded “Best of What’s New Award” in the automotive category by Popular Science, U.S.’ oldest and most trusted science publication on groundbreaking innovations and discoveries.