This innovative new material by Nissan will make its cabins quieter



If there’s one thing that annoys us more than a lousy car to drive, is the lack of refinement in it. Nissan’s vehicles of the future may not have such a problem as the company has developed a new innovative sound insulation material called the acoustic meta-material.

It only weighs a quarter of what is required to provide the same level of cabin insulation and could soon replace the heavy rubber boards currently used by car manufacturers to reduce cabin noise.

The recipe is simple. The material is made of a lattice structure and covered with a thin plastic film. When the noise hits the material, it bounces back – reducing the noise that penetrates the material.

The material is especially aimed at reducing road noise in the cabin of Nissan’s electric vehicles. Without engine noise, electric vehicles may be quieter on the inside but it also makes road noise more obvious.

It’ll also help make future electric vehicles lighter; improving its driving performance and electric mileage.

“We plan to use acoustic meta-material in a wide range of applications; not only in luxury cars and electric vehicles but also in vehicles where the use of heavy sound insulation materials has been limited,” said Nissan’s advance material engineer, Susumu Miura.

The new acoustic meta-material is currently under development for commercialisation but that’s not all.

It was recently awarded “Best of What’s New Award” in the automotive category by Popular Science. Established in 1872, Popular Science is one of the U.S.’s oldest and most trusted brands, reporting on groundbreaking innovations and discoveries.


GALLERY