To convince fleet managers that electric power is every bit as capable as a diesel-chugging V8, we let them hear the future. Working with Highland Electric Fleets, we bypassed the "silent EV" cliché by treating vehicle transitions as "power-ups", using a swift, futuristic motor palette to transform a technical explainer into a high-stakes victory lap.
Highland Electric Fleets leads the market in Electrification, but their audience—municipalities and government stakeholders—often views EVs with skepticism. "Electric" can imply “weak”, "expensive” or “overly-complicated” to those used to the roar of a diesel engine. Our task was to provide the creative direction, composition and sound design for a brand anthem that felt grounded, capable, and undeniably resilient.
Looking toward classic racing games and American motorsports, we created a strategic audio contrast. While traditional combustion engines were designed to sound "jalopy"—rugged but rattling—the EVs were given a swift, powerful, high-torque "singing" tone, reflecting the sophistication of the technology without sacrificing the sense of momentum.
Drawing inspiration from the excitement and charm of Mario Kart, we integrated 8-bit melodic elements and sonic power-ups to signal the progress of converting traditional fossil-gussling combustion fleets to high-performance green machines.
