How to disable VESS (Virtual Engine Sound System) on 2020 (US)

Back to the sound, would a rheostat in the circuit feeding the speaker allow you to alter the volume without turning it off...that might be the best of both worlds. the sound in the 2019 is not obtrusive.
 
There's threads on this what is happening, sure, you can add a rheostat (more commonly known as a potentiometer) AFTER you the front bumper cover off... and then you would probably want to remote the control.

There's a number of threads on this explaining the 2019 situation and the 2020 situation.

I'm not going to repeat them all here, but for 2020 you either unplug the unit under the bumper cover, or do something tricky as I have suggested, but not done yet.

On the previous years, the amplifier is above the glove box, and it's only a speaker under the grill and you can disconnect it under the dash.

There's threads on all 4 of the major forums.

Greg
 
CR EV said:
Back to the sound, would a rheostat in the circuit feeding the speaker allow you to alter the volume without turning it off...that might be the best of both worlds. the sound in the 2019 is not obtrusive.
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If I'm not mistaken the nature of a rheostat means that it can adjust the signal or "gain" per se in a positive or negative nature. Thus the ideal location for this would be inside the cabin of the vehicle. It is my understanding that as of right now the location of the necessary wire to do this is unknown.
 
Which model year are you talking about? 2019 yes, wire easy to find, once you locate the amp above the glove box.

2020 you would need to run a wire from the unit behind the bumper.

By the way, you need a potentiometer (3 terminal) to maintain constant impedance to the amp as opposed to a rheostat.

Greg
 
There is no analog signal being fed to the VESS unit in the bumper that a rheostat will affect; they are all digital signals. Essentially the VESS device is being fed speed and current gear selected data in the CANBUS and then making its decision based upon an algorithm in firmware on sound type and volume level output. It appears they also redesigned the speakers to amplify the sound even more vs previous year.

The whole argument over the "ethics" of disabling this or not is entirely moot; each person gets to make this decision for themselves. Greg is at least trying to find a middle ground where he can retain situational control over the VESS instead of just flat-out disabling it, which it what I have done. After hearing plenty of hybrid vehicles recently that make no sound when they backup or coming to a stop, I do not feel the least bit worried or concerned about pedestrian safety. So, this discussion should be over what we can do to improve the situation, not whether or not we should, contrary to the popular Jurassic Park line. :)
 
For the 2020 you are right, for earlier years, there is an amplifier above the glovebox, and it has a 45 watt amp, and it feeds a speaker behind the "grill", so this is why I said you need to specify the year.

I have a 2020 so am focused on it. I believe the 2019 has the amp above the glovebox, but it might be an earlier year.

For the 2020, the sound is way too loud, and as someone posted 20 db over the requirement.
 
Why on earth would you. It's a safety feature for heavens sake. Your insurance wouldn't like it when the person you hit claims they didn't hear the car. Don't rely on your sensors telling you. Please, put yourself in the position of the pedestrian, especially on a car park. They may not be as spry as you - wait until you need hearing aids and then, and only then you'll realize.
 
Nelson1994 said:
I did a lot of searching and could not find this for 2020 models, so I decided to tear apart my own Niro EV which I got about two hours ago. Here is how to disable VESS on the 2020 US model.

For the faint at heart: you have to partially remove the front bumper cover and it is a pain in the rear to put back. You will probably scratch the bumper cover around the lights like I did. I followed the guide here: http://www.kniro.net/front_bumper_cover_repair_procedures-1473.html


1) remove the 4 10mm bolts from the top support above the radiator.

2) remove the 1 8mm bolt from the wheel well.

3) remove the numerous tabs (4 in the wheel well, I think about 8 along side the bottom of the front of the car) - use a screw driver for this.

4) pull up and out around the light to release the cover.

5) unplug VSS wiring harness (see pic)

6) put everything back by going back to #1 on this list.
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I was just curious, is there any way to pop the grill out to get to the plug?
 
stehova said:
I confirmed the wiring harness is accessible from the engine compartment and you don't need to take your car apart. I used the OP's photos to identify the VESS speaker (purple sticker on top). My photo was taken just under the hood latch, from the perspective of the engine compartment looking forward to the front of the car. A long screwdriver could be used to depress the tab and then lift up the harness.
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Interesting, and thanks for posting. What year and trim is your Niro?
 
stehova said:
Tested, and I can depress the tab with a long screwdriver (approx 10" flathead). Did not disconnect, as I'm holding out for a non "all or none" option.

Also, found this schematic on KiaPartsNow.com. Part A is the speaker.

At one point you said you could register and purchase the service manual. Do you have a link for that? Interested in doing this...
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We all know where the VESS speaker is. The non "all or none" option will take someone to do some clever engineering of a solution. Greg, I think, was looking closely at that, even going to far to analyze circuit boards in US models to see where the VESS switch would go. I certainly enjoy the sound of silence.
 
Have you looked at the pictures of the connector with the front cover removed?

Have you read all the threads on this? (someone has done this and disconnected)

Please show us you can remove the connector remotely, but I think it's the 2019 that you can do this with, not the 2020.

Can you annotate your picture of your car to show the release tab?

I'll find the pictures of the car with the front cover off. I certainly looked at mine, and I can get to the wire, but not the connector, and certainly no way to reconnect.

I've documented some on my page:
https://elmassian.com/index.php/electronics-aamp-gadgets/vehicles/kia-niro-ev

But I have not had the time yet to purchase the manual (online), and track down the can bus wire to disconnect.

At the very least I will have a small switch under the hood in a convenient location to disconnect the can bus from the unit, and it is more than just a speaker.

Greg
 
blue_door said:
It is probably by design, just as Kia has made it progressively harder to disable this system without disconnecting it. For example, it was discovered that 2020 US Niros don't have the wires in the harness to support the factory VESS disable button. Nor is the control module accessible from behind the glove compartment. I think it is beyond stupid that US spec cars don't have the VESS disable button. It's probably yet another dumb government regulation to make someone feel good about themselves or to justify their existence. Personally, I pulled off 1/2 of the bumper cover and unplugged the VESS module. Fortunately, Kia hasn't gotten around to having a VESS-specific message show up on the dash nor a CEL shown. That's probably going to get fixed in 2021 models. LOL!
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blue_door said:
Agreed. This is very likely programmed into the firmware that runs inside the VESS module itself. The mothership only sends the speed and gear selection values to it and the VESS takes it from there and annoys everyone with it's horrible sound. LOL!



I realize it's much easier to ask for something than to just do that something as it takes time and money. My post was merely trying to stoke some ideas and perhaps give a direction to the project. While I have an IT background, it is not in hardware. I'd spend hundreds of dollars in tools and equipment and many hours of time learning to come up with a solution that someone else already has the tools, equipment, and experience, such as yourself, to do this kind of work.

For now, I spent about 1 hour carefully taking off my bumper cover and disconnecting the VESS. It's been several days and no CEL or other message has shown up. I plugged in my ODBII reader to look for DTCs and nothing even came up there, but a dealer scan tool would be more thorough. So unless a tech notices the sound missing at the dealership and makes a note of it, they may never know there's a change.

Quick note on bumper cover removal: you do not have to remove the entire bumper cover. It is bulky and unwieldy for a single person, so just leave one half of it connected to the car. That still leaves you plenty of room to disconnect the VESS.

That all being said, the sound of near-silence when backing up or going forward is golden.
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Hey there! I unbolted everything and removed all the noted tabs but having a hard time removing the bumper. There’s a part that gets stuck near the front headlight - any tips for getting the bumper off? :)
 
Sorry I did not get back to you, but you did it exactly as I did mine. I hope that Kia does not put out a software update that will "notice" the VESS module is no longer connected and throw an error on the dash. Enjoy your quiet Niro!
 
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