2012 Chevy Equinox Comes Standard With Active Noise Cancellation

The latest model of the popular crossover SUV, the Chevy Equinox, comes with plenty of bells and whistles, and General Motors recently announced one more. In order to help the Equinox achieve industry leading fuel efficiency, GM engineers have created an "Active Noise Cancellation" module. The module detects when the engine runs below 1,000-1,500 RPMS.

According to Jim Vallance, a "Noise and Vibration" Engineer at GM, the technology has allowed the Equinox to push past others in the class like the RAC 4 and Ford Escape Hybrid.

"There’s a boom, or very low frequency rumble that comes from the engine when it runs in that RPM range," said Vallance. "We knew if we could deaden those booms, we could run the engine at the lower RPM, which would provide a significant boost to fuel efficiency. So we started kicking around ideas and came up with noise cancellation like you see in some high-end stereo headphones."

The Noise Canellation system now comes standard on the Chevy Equinox with a 4-cylinder engine. The low engine speed triggers the module to create a sound-reducing countermeasure which helps to eliminate unwanted sound through the cars audio speakers as well.