Why Riding In An EV Might Make You Sick

While EVs are championed for their calm, noise-free cabins and instant torque, new research suggests these qualities could be contributing to an increase in motion sickness for passengers not behind the wheel. According to recent studies the problem lies in how the human brain interprets—or misinterprets—movement cues.

In a combustion-powered vehicle, things like engine revs, vibrations, and gear shifts offer constant feedback that helps passengers subconsciously anticipate how the car is moving. In EVs, however, those sensory cues don't exist—basically, it's the same reason VR headsets make some people nauseous.

“Traveling in an EV for the first time is a new motion environment for the brain,” said William Emond, a PhD researcher at Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard, in an interview with The Guardian. “If we are accustomed to traveling in non-EVs, we are used to understanding the car’s motion based on signals such as engine revs, engine vibrations, torque, etc.”

As a result, the brain struggles to predict motion forces accurately, which can trigger nausea and disorientation—the classic symptoms of motion sickness.

Another culprit is regenerative braking, a feature that allows EVs to recover energy by slowing the car as soon as the driver lifts off the accelerator. While it’s great for efficiency, it removes the traditional “coasting” sensation and replaces it with more aggressive longitudinal deceleration.

One study suggests regenerative braking acts as one of the prime drivers of motion sickness in electric vehicles. The study’s authors wrote: “Our results confirmed that higher levels of RB [regenerative braking] can induce MS [motion sickness].”

Motion sickness is believed to happen because of a mismatch between various sensory inputs the brain receives about the body’s movement. Specifically, motion sickness happens when the inner ear, the eyes, and the body send conflicting information to the brain about what the body is experiencing.

"When the motion forces as estimated or anticipated by the brain differ from what actually is experienced, then the brain interprets this ‘neural mismatch’ as a situation of conflict,” Emond said. “If this conflict persists over time, it may surpass a threshold for triggering autonomic reactions of the body such as symptoms apparent to ‘motion sickness’.”

The question now is whether this effect will fade as more people get used to riding in EVs. Today’s drivers and passengers have been raised on ICE cars, conditioned to recognize and expect certain mechanical sensations. But younger generations who have grown up in a world with both kinds of propulsion might not experience the same disconnect.

That said, automakers developing future EVs may have to take this into account, especially as fully autonomous vehicles approach a degree of viability.

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