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NIO ET7 audio system reveals how important software will be in future vehicles [Editorial]
NIO went the extra mile—and then some—when it conceptualized the audio system for the ET7. The NIO ET7 has 23 speakers powered by Swedish digital audio pioneer Dirac’s Opteo Professional audio software and Dolby Atmos technology.
NIO and Dirac’s work on the ET7’s audio system reveals the changing design of the car’s cabin and the role software plays in its redesign.
The NIO ET7’s Sound
Every automaker has a specific sound they would like their passengers to enjoy in their vehicles. NIO also has a particular sound target, and for the ET7, the Chinese automaker wanted it to come through crystal clear.
NIO worked closely with Dirac to create its sound. The NIO ET7’s official online page states that the four-seater car has 23 speakers, four overhead speakers, and a subwoofer. It also has a 20-channel amplifier and comes standard with Dolby Atmos Technology.
NIO didn’t just add lots of speakers to the ET7, though. The China-based automaker together with Dirac were meticulous and intentional with the ET7’s audio system.
Redefining the Cabin
Audio experts must consider the environment the sound will be played in, making it challenging to work with vehicles. Lars Carlsson, the Head of Business Development Automotive Audio and Vice President at Dirac, told Teslarati that audio experts have to consider many things when creating the perfect sound inside a vehicle. They have to consider the number and position of the speakers and the number of seats in the vehicle. Audio experts must also consider how sound reflects on the cabin’s different surfaces and windows.
Each speaker output in the NIO ET7 was measured with 16 microphones, positioned in each seat for a total of 64 measurement positions in the cabin. The measured data gave Dirac a good overview of the acoustic performance of the car’s cabin and creates the base for Dirac’s patented algorithms to optimize the sound.
“We base everything on measurements and data. Our process really saves audio engineers a lot of time. They can tune on their computer instead of spending weeks in the car,” Carlsson said.
After measuring the cabin, Dirac used algorithms to “derive the optimum solution” for its sound field control technology. With sound field control, Dirac created “super speakers” for the ET7. Typically, there are three speakers in a car door: low frequency, mid-range frequency, and a tweeter for the high frequency. Dirac uses sound field control to digitally align the speakers, making them collaborate to realize one full, quality sound.
“In addition our algorithm lets the speakers in the cabin and the subwoofer collaborate to create an even sound field in the car, which means we can actually create an equal audio experience in every seat. You get the voice right in front of you and a good imaging and a very even bass distribution and tight bass,” explained Carlsson.
Software’s Critical Role in Future Vehicles
Software is playing an increasingly important role in the auto industry as automotive OEMs and startups reconceptualize the idea of the vehicle. Now, automakers are reimagining the use of the car cabin as more vehicles integrate autonomous software.
Software lies at the center of redesigning the cabin space for passenger activities. Many automakers have started investing in software for their vehicles. For instance, Volkswagen invested €2 billion in a joint venture with China-based Horizon Robotics. And Stellantis launched a software development center in India recently.
Audio, in particular, is beginning to play a more significant role in the cabin as automakers introduce more types of media for passengers to enjoy while on the road. Electric cars coming out on the market have fun new features now, like karaoke, videos, games, and more which rely heavily on audio systems. However, it is autonomy that drives the cabin’s redesign.
“We have an enormous interest for our solutions because audio is getting more and more important in the car. This is true for electric cars because it’s a quieter environment but also when looking into autonomous cars, where maybe you’ll be working in your car, you’ll be listening to music, you’ll be watching videos, you’ll have maybe rotating seats,” said Carlsson.
“There’s a lot of challenges also coming ahead, but I would say that Dirac is very well equipped for future challenges because software for anything in the cars is key,” he added.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
The Tesla Semi is entering a new Pilot Program with Paper Transport, LLC (PTI), a Wisconsin-based transportation provider. The company will test the Semi’s Long Range configuration through “dedicated operations within the Chicago market.”
Chicago presents an interesting challenge for the Semi, as it will be a colder-weather climate that will test the Semi’s ability to operate in lower temperatures and in potentially large accumulations of snow. This is something Tesla has been testing with the Semi in Alaska and even in Northern California during the colder months, but Chicago will present a truly tough midwestern winter.
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PTI says it is using the Semi to evaluate its strategy of reducing transportation emissions while maintaining performance, reliability, and cost efficiency. These are major arguments for the Semi being introduced into new fleets.
CEO of PTI Tyler Ellison said:
“PTI has been a leader in sustainable transportation solutions for over 15 years. We take a consultative approach to helping customers identify and implement the right transportation solution for their network. Our partnership with Tesla expands our portfolio alongside renewable natural gas and intermodal, giving customers more ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions without compromising service or economics.”
PTI is far from the first company to adopt the Semi within a fleet, as Tesla entered strategic agreements with PepsiCo. and its subsidiary Frito-Lay for a Pilot Program that extended throughout the California region.
Tesla has let companies like those utilize the Semi to determine whether it would be suitable for their operations. Additionally, Tesla gets valuable information regarding the Semi’s performance, knowing what to improve and what is ideal for companies that will utilize the all-electric truck for regional and nationwide logistics.
PTI plans to utilize the Long Range configuration, which is priced at $290,000 and features a range of approximately 500 miles, a three-motor powertrain, up to 800 kW of drive power, and consumption of just 1.7 kWh per mile.
Tesla Semi pricing revealed after company uncovers trim levels
VP of Maintenance at PTI, Bryan Ellen, added:
“We are excited to partner with Tesla, leveraging their ever-evolving technology. We are bullish in our estimation of the parallels available between our dedicated model and the efficiency of their fully electric Class 8 tractor. We anticipate a growing synergy between our businesses as we work to facilitate this sustainable solution for our customers.”
PTI has logged more than 87 million miles using sources like compressed and renewable gas, but now is looking to take it a step further with fully electric operations.
Tesla revealed on Monday that it is building a new autonomous vehicle at Gigafactory Texas, its plant just outside of the City of Austin. This particular vehicle will be geared toward those who are in need of a wheelchair-accessible car that would require no human driver for operation.
According to a new report from Wired, Tesla’s Senior Policy Advisor, India Herdman, told members of the Washington D.C. City Council on Monday:
“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. We know that paratransit can be very difficult, and people who are confined to wheelchairs permanently should still be able to move around freely, so that is an active product being built by Tesla in Texas.”
This builds upon what CEO Elon Musk said last year on X, which confirmed the company was working on accessible rides within its Robotaxi platform, which currently is confined to the Model Y.
Absolutely
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 19, 2025
Tesla is also developing the Cybercab, which started employee rides last week. However, this vehicle is not necessarily geared toward wheelchair accessibility.
That leaves a major gap in the autonomous ride-sharing program that Tesla is attempting to build; the company has been pretty clear that it does not want to complicate its manufacturing lines by bringing in a wide array of body styles.
However, it seems necessary to have something larger that could help transport people to appointments when they cannot drive. For wheelchair accessibility, the Robovan, which was unveiled at the “We, Robot” event in October 2024, seems to be the most ideal solution:
Herdman did not indicate whether she was referring to the Robovan or if Tesla is building yet another body style that is geared toward full autonomy but also caters to the handicapped.
Tesla might need to develop something specifically for the handicapped in order to align with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prevents discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services. Uber was hit with a lawsuit late last year for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.”
Tesla would obviously like to avoid this.
It will be interesting to see what Tesla will do with this project, and whether it will introduce something new to the market or just continue with the Robovan.
Tesla weirdly confirmed that its steering wheel-less and pedal-less Cybercab vehicle is now in the process of giving employees rides, a huge milestone for the vehicle program.
But the entire thing was super strange. On Friday, Tesla released a video stating that there was “Cool news from Giga Texas” and that employees were now taking rides in Cybercabs that have no manual controls. The units seen on public roads are engineering vehicles that have manual controls inside, a necessity as Tesla moved through the testing phase.
However, Tesla removed the video and reposted it shortly after with a more vague title. It seems like the employee rides are still going, but the video was adjusted slightly. The initial upload showed employees doing things like watching movies and adjusting the climate, but these snippets were removed in the second upload.
Cool news from Giga Texas pic.twitter.com/gvbG456Tzw
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) July 11, 2026
Both images below were uploaded with the first video, but were removed after Tesla re-uploaded the announcement. These are not available in the second upload
Credit: Tesla
Credit: Tesla
Nevertheless, the announcement from Tesla is that the Cybercab is operating with employees inside who can control the vehicle’s audio, video, climate, and destination settings through their smartphone app.
Tesla has already been testing Cybercab engineering units, but last month, it was able to self-certify for SAE Level 4, which would enable unsupervised self-driving in Texas. The company is moving toward that, and the plans have always been to launch Cybercab rides this year.
The Cybercab is potentially looked at as the next generation of Tesla’s mobility leg. For the past 15 years, the company has been known as somewhat of an automaker, among many other things. However, these passenger vehicles that Tesla has manufactured are now moving into a new realm, as they will eventually drive themselves with no supervision thanks to the Full Self-Driving suite.
The Cybercab is just the next step of that: a true vehicle developed for the sole purpose of ride-hailing. It has no human controls, it has only two seats, and it will get passengers from Point A to Point B with no awkward driver, no need for manual inputs, and with no stress.
Tesla is moving forward with other developments related to the Cybercab project as well. However, the big announcement will come when Tesla finally announces that it is launching Cybercab rides to the general public, something that it plans to launch either late this year or early 2027.
Tesla Semi enters new Pilot Program with interesting challenge
Tesla is building a wheelchair-accessible Robotaxi
