Motion sickness is caused by “a mismatch in sensory cues,” Hac says. Our bodies rely on three main sensory inputs to show that we’re moving, which come from what we see, what our inner ear’s balance system perceives, and what fibres in our body sense, he says. When one of these is in conflict with the others – like if you’re looking at your phone so you don’t see visual signs of movement out of the window – that can cause motion sickness.
Research suggests several reasons why it may be more severe in electric vehicles.
Humans have adapted to associate sound with movement in vehicles, experts explain. Because electric vehicles don’t have the auditory cues and vibrations from the engine that we’re used to, which indicate when the car is accelerating, this could trigger motion sickness, Di Giulio says.
Another reason is regenerative braking, the process whereby when drivers release the accelerator, the electric car starts to slow down and uses the energy to feed the battery. However, it is a process that needs to be done smoothly with the accelerator being released gently, or it can lead to harsh deceleration.
“It forces the person to perhaps feel like they’re rocking back and forth for that brief moment when the speed of the car suddenly changes,” says Hac.
This is something Carolyn Le, 24, from California, has noticed. She gets “horrendous” motion sickness when her friend drives her in his electric vehicle in busy cities, she says. The regenerative braking means it “constantly feels like the car is stopping all the time”.
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