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© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

In electric-powered cars, the production of which is increasing, the HVAC system is responsible for most of the noise inside the car’s cabin, causing significant discomfort for passengers. Moreover, the noise produced by the HVAC affects the perceptible sound inside the car cabin, significantly impacting the perceived quality of the vehicle. It is thus essential to investigate and quantify people’s preferences concerning HVAC noise. Our previous research revealed differences in the HVAC noise between hybrid electric (HEV) and internal combustion engine (ICEV) vehicles. A subsequent factor analysis revealed that the adjectives used to describe the sounds can be grouped into two main dimensions: Aesthetic and Loudness. The present paper highlights the results of a listening test that aimed to identify possible differences in the perception of HVACs’ sound quality between Italian and Japanese subject groups, for ICEV and HEV, in different functioning conditions. Results revealed that the most remarkable difference emerges at high air flow rates, where the Japanese group perceived the quality of sound and annoyance, respectively, to be significantly lower and significantly higher than the Italian group.

Details

Title
Intercultural Differences in the Perception of HVAC Sound Quality in Car Cabins: From Conventional to Electric Vehicles
Author
Masullo, Massimiliano 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Yamauchi, Katsuya 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Minori Dan 2 ; Cioffi, Federico 1 ; Maffei, Luigi 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81031 Aversa, Italy; [email protected] (F.C.); [email protected] (L.M.) 
 Department of Communication Design Science, Kyushu University, Shiobaru 4-9-1, Fukuoka 815-8540, Japan; [email protected] (K.Y.); [email protected] (M.D.) 
First page
11431
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20763417
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2608087365
Copyright
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.