U.S. laws require electric vehicles to emit external sounds below 18 mph (29 km/h) and in addition to doing this, the VW ID.4 has a little quirk that will play sounds when it is undergoing a software update. These sounds may make you believe that aliens are finally arriving on Earth.
In July, a YouTuber by the name of Ps3mn1 shared a video of a white VW ID.4 emitting eerie squeals and shrieks while parked in a garage. It would be easy to mistake these sounds for some kind of fault, perhaps triggered by an issue with the speakers and maybe the electric powertrain itself. However, that’s not the case.
The folks over at Road & Track reached out to Volkswagen to determine what exactly caused the ID.4 to make these weird sounds. A company spokesperson revealed that the bizarre sounds occur when the car is receiving a software update. When this happens, it loses connection with its CAN-Bus and speed sensors, ordinarily used to determine if it is traveling at less than 18 mph and if the pedestrian warning sound is needed. Without a connection to these sensors, the system freaks out and makes these noises.
Read: VW ID.4 Gets Big Bump In Power, As Well As More Range For 2024
It is unclear if VW is looking into ways to eliminate the strange sounds but it has been working on a comprehensive update for the ID.4. While complete details about the 2024 model have not yet been announced, we know the entry-level model with an 82 kWh battery pack and a single electric motor will pump out 282 hp, a huge gain from the 201 hp previously available. VW has also confirmed that the 2024 ID.4’s twin-motor version will deliver 330 hp, some 35 hp more than last year’s model.
The car manufacturer has also revealed that the range of both models will jump, although it has not yet said by how much.