Scientists say our brains are used to sound and vibration signals from ICE cars and struggle to adapt to electric equivalents
2 hours ago
- People who think they get more carsick in EVs are learning they’re not imagining it.
- Scientists say regenerative braking and the lack of vibrations in EVs could be to blame.
- Some experts think carmakers could use ambient lighting changes to reduce nausea.
EVs are quieter, smoother and more refined than gas cars and, provided they’re showing plenty of available range miles, far more relaxing for the person behind the wheel. But it can be a different story for anyone riding shotgun or in the back, as evidenced by multiple social media posts from passengers asking if it’s normal to feel more carsick in the back of an electric car.
Related: Honda Engineers Fight EV Nausea With Clever Acceleration Mapping
According to scientists who spoke to The Guardian, those green-faced EV riders aren’t imagining it. Humans could very well find themselves experiencing motion sickness in an electric vehicle even when its full performance is not being deployed, despite having spent decades traveling in a combustion-powered car without an issue.
EVs Change How People Experience Motion
There are a few potential reasons for this, some of which are related to the way the driver interacts with the EVs controls, and others due to how our brains process the signals we’re receiving while being transported.
Let’s take the driver first. If you’ve ever driven an EV, you’ll know that, unlike ICE cars, they produce all of their torque instantly and that characteristic is what gives them so much energy off the line and at low speeds.
Some early EVs had horribly jumpy throttle tip-in as a result, and while most automakers have now worked out how calibrate the right pedal response to make getting on the gas smoother, a driver who has only recently switched from a gas car might still be struggling to apply the throttle smoothly. Their best bet is to engage the Eco mode, which always has a soggier throttle.
Regenerative Braking Is a Hidden Culprit
It’s a similar story with slowing down due to an EV’s regenerative braking, especially if the driver has the regen level set high or is using a one-pedal mode. As soon as they lift off the gas, the car begins to slow down noticeably, meaning they have to be very measured with their foot movements to prevent passengers feeling sick.
And even then, the sustained deceleration – which is very different to the brief, but more aggressive deceleration we’re used to in ICE cars – can still make us nauseous.
Part of the problem is also that our brains are used to picking up signals from the sound, vibrations and movements delivered by cars with petrol engines. It’s something we’ve spent years subconsciously learning. But EVs don’t give out those same signals.
Our Brains Weren’t Built for Silent Speed
“Greater sickness in EVs can be attributed to a lack of previous experience, as both a driver and as a passenger, where the brain lacks accuracy in estimating the motion forces because it relies on previous experience in other types of cars,” William Emond, a PhD student researching car sickness told The Guardian.
“When discovering a new motion environment, the brain needs to habituate because there is no knowledge of previous experience in such a context. This is, for example, why almost everyone becomes sick in zero-gravity environments,” he explained.
Some experts have suggested that carmakers could help cut down on passenger sickness by incorporating visual signals inside the cabin such as changes to ambient lighting to help tell our brains what’s about to happen.
Do EVs make you feel carsick, or are you just sick to death of them in general? Either way, we want to hear from you. Let us know in the comments: is it motion sickness or EV fatigue?
