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Tesla audio partner DSP Concepts discusses noise cancellation tech & the future of sound in autonomous cars

Credit: Tesla

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Sound might play a bigger role in the auto industry with the advent of the electric cars and the age of autonomous vehicles dawning. Tesla’s audio partner DSP Concepts (DSPC) knows a lot about sound and how big of a role it plays in everyday life. Teslarati spoke with part of the DSP Concepts team, who revealed the significance of sound in vehicles, especially as the electric car revolution starts to hit its stride. 

“It turns out a car is your most complicated audio product,” said Chin Beckmann, the co-founder and CEO of DSP Concepts. Beckmann described all the ways audio and sound play a part in how people interact with their vehicles, like phone calls, voice commands, or simple in-car communication from driver to passenger and vice versa. 

Engine noise cancellation is a feature that interests traditional cars owners as well. Inversely, for electric car owners, engine noise enhancements or noisemakers have become a sought after feature, particularly in the United States where it is mandatory for EVs. 

(Photo: Andres GE)

Tesla probably contributed to the popularity of noisemakers in vehicles with its recently-released Boombox feature, which allows drivers to play sounds through an external speaker. Funnily enough, EV owners seeking to increase the noise coming out of their vehicles, may also be looking for ways to decrease the sounds coming into their cars. 

“There’s a lot of interest in road noise cancellation from EVs,” said Dr. Paul Beckmann, founder and CTO of DSP Concepts. 

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Last month, DSP Concepts announced that Audio Weaver would port Bose’s QuietComfort Road Noise Control (RNC) technology into its platform. The collaboration meant that car companies using the Audio Weaver platform, like Tesla, Porsche, or BMW, could offer Bose’s QuietComfort RNC to their vehicles. 

(Photo: Andres GE)

Dr. Beckmann clarified, however, that some hardware needs to be integrated into the vehicle for the Bose QuietComfort RNC to work. 

“The way the RNC works is it uses microphones inside the car to listen. It’s kind of like those active noise cancelling headphones. The headphones have microphones close by your ears. So [for] the retrofit, you’d have to put microphones, maybe, by the headrest or somewhere close to your ears,” he shared with Teslarati. 

Dru Wynings, Sr. Director of Marketing at DSP Concepts, added that some sensors would probably be needed in the car’s chassis as well. He also talked about the complexities of bringing Bose’s QuietComfort RNC to vehicles. 

“There’s a huge hardware component to it in terms of how much computation is needed, in terms of what their audio sound system is…all of that could take a toll. So, [automakers are] planning on what could actually fit on this specific chip to run this software,” said Wynings.

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DSP Concepts did not reveal any details about Bose RNC coming to Tesla vehicles. There’s really no telling what features Tesla will roll out to its vehicles at the end of the day. 

However, the possibility is very high. It isn’t too far-fetched to think that Tesla might have already equipped its vehicles with the necessary hardware for features like Bose’s QuietComfort RNC, especially considering the upcoming release of the much-anticipated Model S and Model X refresh. The company already did something similar with its in-cabin camera. The hardware for the camera feature was equipped well before it was enabled via an OTA software update.

Road noise cancellation seems like a premium feature that could be available for Tesla’s top-tier vehicles, like the Model S and Model X. Or Tesla may roll out the Bose RNC feature to its entire fleet in a later update. After all, the Model 3 just had a refresh as well. 

Sound in Autonomous Vehicles

Aside from Tesla, DSP Concepts works with an array of automakers in the industry, both old and new companies. The company’s main goal is to bring audio engineering into the 21st century with the help of Audio Weaver. 

When it comes to the auto industry, DSPC seems very aware of how audio in cars will evolve as autonomy enters the industry. It has become evident that car companies, both legacy and startups, have started producing more tech-savvy vehicles. 

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Tesla vehicles might be the most tech-savvy cars on the market. The EV manufacturer’s cars incorporate technology that people might look for in their vehicles now, like Netflix, Spotify, or even Caraoke. Yes, these features might not be necessary, but the same argument could be made for phones, laptops, or other devices. 

(Photo: Andres GE)

People can do much more than call others with their phones now. They can watch their favorite shows, listen to music, search the internet and much, much more.  People seem to want their tech to be well-rounded, so why not their vehicles?

Other car makers seem to be following Tesla’s footsteps. In addition to making more tech-oriented vehicles, more auto companies are also exploring autonomous cars. 

With autonomy in the picture, features like Tesla Theater or Tesla Arcade will be more utilized and with that comes the significance of sound. DSP Concepts understands that people might start looking for better sound quality in their autonomous vehicles as more entertainment options are offered by car companies. 

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com or reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com. 

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla’s newest “Folding V4 Superchargers” are key to its most aggressive expansion yet

Tesla’s folding V4 Supercharger ships 33% more per truck, cuts deployment time and cost significantly.

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Tesla V4 Supercharger installation ramping in Europe

Tesla is rolling out a folding V4 Supercharger design, an engineering change that allows 33% more units to fit on a single delivery truck, cuts deployment time in half, and reduces overall installation cost by roughly 20%.

The folding mechanism addresses one of the least glamorous but most consequential bottlenecks in charging infrastructure: getting hardware from factory floor to job site efficiently. By collapsing the form factor for transit and unfolding into an operational configuration on arrival, the new design dramatically reduces the logistics overhead that has historically slowed Supercharger rollouts, particularly at large or remote sites where multiple units are needed simultaneously.

The timing aligns with a broader acceleration in Tesla’s network strategy. In March 2026, Tesla’s Gigafactory New York produced its final V3 Supercharger cabinet after more than seven years and 15,000 units, pivoting entirely to V4 cabinet production. The V4 cabinet itself is already a generational leap, delivering up to 500 kW per stall for passenger vehicles and up to 1.2 MW for the Tesla Semi, while supporting twice the stalls per cabinet at three times the power density of its predecessor. The folding transport innovation layers logistical efficiency on top of that technical foundation.

Tesla launches first ‘true’ East Coast V4 Supercharger: here’s what that means

Tesla Charging’s Director Max de Zegher, commenting on the V4 cabinet when it launched, captured the operational philosophy behind these changes: “Posts can peak up to 500kW for cars, but we need less than 1MW across 8 posts to deliver maximum power to cars 99% of the time.” The design philosophy has always been about maximizing real-world throughput, not just peak specs, and the folding transport upgrade extends that thinking into the supply chain itself.

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Elon Musk

The Boring Company clears final Nashville hurdle: Music City loop is full speed ahead

The Boring Company has cleared its final Nashville hurdles, putting the Music City Loop on track for 2026.

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The Boring Company has cleared one of its most significant regulatory milestones yet, securing a key easement from the Music City Center in Nashville just days ago, the latest in a series of approvals that have pushed the Music City Loop project firmly into construction reality.

On March 24, 2026, the Convention Center Authority voted to grant The Boring Company access to an easement along the west side of the Music City Center property, allowing tunneling beneath the privately owned venue. The move follows a unanimous 7-0 vote by the Metro Nashville Airport Authority on February 18, and a joint state and federal approval from the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration on February 25. Together, these green lights have cleared the path for a roughly 10-mile underground tunnel connecting downtown Nashville to Nashville International Airport, with potential extensions into midtown along West End Avenue.

Music City Loop could highlight The Boring Company’s real disruption

Nashville was selected by The Boring Company largely because of its rapid population growth and the strain that growth has placed on surface infrastructure. Traffic has become a persistent problem for residents, convention visitors, and airport travelers alike. The Music City Loop promises an approximately 8-minute underground transit time between downtown and the Nashville International Airport (BNA), removing thousands of vehicles from surface roads daily while operating as a fully electric, zero-emissions system at no cost to taxpayers.

The project fits squarely within a broader vision Musk has championed for years. In responding to a breakdown of the Loop’s construction costs, Musk posted on X: “Tunnels are so underrated.” The comment reflected a longstanding belief that underground transit represents one of the most cost-effective and scalable infrastructure solutions available. The Boring Company has claimed it can build 13 miles of twin tunnels in Nashville for between $240 million and $300 million total, a fraction of what comparable projects cost elsewhere in the country.

The Las Vegas Loop, The Boring Company’s first operational system, has served as a proof of concept. During the CONEXPO trade show in March 2026, the Vegas Loop transported approximately 82,000 passengers over five days at the Las Vegas Convention Center, demonstrating the system’s capacity during large-scale events. Nashville draws millions of convention visitors and tourists each year, and local business leaders have pointed to that same capacity as a major draw for supporting the project.

The Music City Loop was first announced in July 2025. Construction began within hours of the February 25 state approval, with The Boring Company’s Prufrock tunneling machine already in the ground the same evening. The first operational segment is targeted for late 2026, with the full route expected to be complete by 2029. The project represents one of the largest privately funded infrastructure efforts currently underway in the United States.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk demands Delaware Judge recuse herself after ‘support’ post celebrating $2B court loss

A banner on the post read “Katie McCormick supports this,” using LinkedIn’s heart-in-hand “support” icon, an endorsement stronger than a simple “like.” Musk’s lawyers argue the action creates “a perception of bias against Mr. Musk,” warranting immediate recusal to preserve judicial impartiality.

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Ministério Das Comunicações, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s legal team has filed a motion demanding that Delaware Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick disqualify herself from an ongoing high-stakes Tesla shareholder lawsuit.

The filing, submitted March 25, cites an apparent LinkedIn “support” reaction from McCormick’s account to a post celebrating a $2 billion jury verdict against Musk in a separate California securities-fraud case.

The move escalates long-simmering tensions between Musk, Tesla, and the Delaware judiciary, where McCormick previously presided over the landmark challenge to Musk’s record $56 billion 2018 compensation package.

Delaware Supreme Court reinstates Elon Musk’s 2018 Tesla CEO pay package

The LinkedIn post was written by Harry Plotkin, a Southern California jury consultant who assisted the plaintiffs who sued Musk over 2022 tweets about his Twitter acquisition. Plotkin praised the trial team for “standing up for the little guy against the richest man in the world.”

The New York Post initially reported the story.

A banner on the post read “Katie McCormick supports this,” using LinkedIn’s heart-in-hand “support” icon, an endorsement stronger than a simple “like.” Musk’s lawyers argue the action creates “a perception of bias against Mr. Musk,” warranting immediate recusal to preserve judicial impartiality.

McCormick swiftly denied intentional endorsement. In a letter to attorneys, she stated she was unaware of the interaction until LinkedIn notified her. She wrote:

“I either did not click the ‘support’ icon at all, or I did so accidentally. I do not believe that I did it accidentally.”

The chancellor maintains the reaction was inadvertent, but critics, including Musk allies, call the explanation implausible given the platform’s deliberate interface.

McCormick’s central role in the Tesla pay-package litigation underscores the stakes. In Tornetta v. Musk, in January 2024, she ruled the 2018 performance-based stock-option grant, potentially worth $56 billion at the time and now valued far higher, was invalid.

The package consisted of 12 tranches of options, each vesting only after Tesla achieved ambitious market-cap and operational milestones. McCormick found Musk exercised “transaction-specific control” over Tesla as a controlling stockholder, the board lacked sufficient independence, and proxy disclosures to shareholders were materially deficient.

Applying the entire-fairness standard, she concluded defendants failed to prove the deal was fair in process or price and ordered full rescission, an “unfathomable” remedy she described as necessary to deter fiduciary breaches.

After the ruling, Tesla shareholders ratified the package a second time in June 2024. McCormick rejected that ratification in December 2024, holding that post-trial votes could not cure defects.

Tesla appealed. On December 19 of last year, the Delaware Supreme Court unanimously reversed the rescission remedy while largely leaving McCormick’s liability findings intact. The high court deemed total unwinding inequitable and impractical, restoring the package but awarding the plaintiff only nominal $1 damages plus reduced attorneys’ fees. Musk ultimately received the full award.

The current recusal motion arises in yet another Tesla derivative suit before McCormick. Legal observers say granting it could signal heightened scrutiny of judicial social-media activity; denial might reinforce perceptions of an insular Delaware bench.

Broader fallout includes accelerated corporate migration out of Delaware, Musk himself moved Tesla’s incorporation to Texas after the first ruling, and renewed debate over whether the state’s specialized courts remain the gold standard for corporate governance disputes.

A decision is expected soon; whichever way it lands, the episode highlights the fragile balance between judicial independence and public confidence in high-profile litigation.

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