Those who experience motion sickness while travelling can attest to the fact that it is not a pleasant experience. Motion sickness, also known as kinetosis, is not limited to children; adults also face
it. While the syndrome is largely unsavory, it is not an uncommon phenomenon. One can experience motion sickness while travelling in a car, bus, train, flight or even on a boat. According to the National Library of Medicine, motion sickness can occur during exposure to physical, visual or virtual motion.
However, motion sickness isn’t just limited to petrol or diesel cars. In fact, studies have suggested that some experience greater motion sickness in electric vehicles (EVs).
What is causing this, and is there a learning curve to minimise or even eliminate motion sickness whilst travelling in an EV?
What Is Motion Sickness?
Motion sickness, often induced while travelling, happens when conflicting signals are sent to the brain by the ears and eyes. The mismatch of these signals leaves the brain confused, causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headache, cold sweats, and dizziness.
“Motion sickness is a condition that happens when your eyes, inner ear and body send conflicting messages to your brain. You can develop the condition whenever your body is staying still but you’re being moved by a vehicle, like when you’re riding in a car or standing on a boat deck,” Cleveland Clinic noted.
Motion sickness can also happen while playing virtual reality games and video games.
Motion Sickness While Travelling
Explaining the syndrome, Patna’s popular educator Khan Sir explained that the feeling of uneasiness occurs when the signals sent by our sense organs to the brain don’t match.
In a car, for instance, the ears detect movement, but if the windows are closed, especially with the AC on, the eyes perceive a stationary environment. This mismatch confused the brain, which interpreted it as a “problem” in the body. As a result, the brain triggered vomiting to relieve the perceived threat, causing car sickness.
Interestingly, the drivers of these cars typically did not feel carsick as they were engaged, constantly monitoring the road, traffic, and their surroundings. Driving, a coordinated activity, helped align the signals from ears and eyes, thus eliminating possibility of motion sickness among drivers.
Motion Sickness In EVs
Some people experienced more motion sickness in electric vehicles (EVs) simply because they were less familiar with them compared to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, such as petrol or diesel vehicles.
Several factors could contribute to a sense of sensory disconnect in electric vehicles, potentially leading to nausea. These include the lack of engine noise, instant high torque, absence of vibrations, a silent cabin and drive, and other related elements.
A 2024 study revealed that the regenerative braking in EVs induced motion sickness.
“Our results confirmed that higher levels of RB can induce MS. Further, providing auditory motion cues can mitigate MS when high-level RB was used. The findings highlight the importance of motion cues in EVs and provide insights into the design of RB systems and corresponding human-machine interaction strategies.”
A car enthusiast, responding to a Team-BHP thread discussing the motion sickness caused by EVs, wrote: “My sister-in-law has the same problem when in an EV cab. She attributes to the first point you mentioned – Regen Braking causing sudden back and forth motion every time the throttle is lifted.”
Another user in the thread pointed out Xiaomi YU7‘s “Motion Sickness Relief Mode” that, when activated, smoothened the acceleration and deceleration of the electric car. This feature could enhance the driving experience.
Steps To Reduce Motion Sickness In EVs?
A Reddit Subreddit (r/electricvehicles), while discussing the severity of carsickness felt aboard an EV, collectively believed that one of the major factors that contributed to passengers feeling ill was the driver slamming the accelerator while being stationary.
“It’s not the car, it’s the driver. If you’re someone who comes on and off the accelerator quickly, an EV will emphasize those movements due to regen braking and that can make a passenger sick. If you come off the accelerator more gradually, it should be ok. You could reduce the car’s regen setting to help (sic),” the top-voted comment read.
