The planet-saving cars that are being forced upon us have another catch — they might make you vomit. Apparently, motion sickness is "a thing" for EV's, not that our public broadcaster would mention it in the regular adverts they run to tell us how wonderful EV's are. Apparently the silent sudden acceleration is leaving some stomachs in a lurch — and some adults, kids and even dogs are throwing up.
'I need a solution fast': Electric car owners complain of motion sicknessThe theory is that EV's are too quiet, too fast, and have too few cues to warn our insides to prepare for motion. But who knows, perhaps sitting inside a giant electromagnetic field triggers the queasy feeling?
Zane Dobie, Drive
Another user said: "I drive in an electric vehicle a lot, and I've found that regenerative braking absolutely makes me motion sick. I'm not always driving, so I don't always have control of how it's being driven, so other people's driving really makes me sick... I really need to find a solution fast".
Some drivers also reported their electric cars making their pets sick too. "Since [buying] the Tesla, [my dog] throws up in it almost every time..."
Shhh!
The problem (that no one mentioned in public) is apparently already so well known in the industry that car manufacturers are researching ways to reduce it. (Where are our journalists?)
Solutions include driving the car more like a combustion engine car and switching down the regenerative braking, both of which reduce the range of the EV (o' the irony).
Manufacturers like Honda are looking to squash carsickness by revising their power mapping for a smoother ride at low speeds. Honda is on the case with its e:Ny1 (which is not available in Australia at this time) by changing their throttle map to emulate an acceleration similar to an ICE vehicle.Hyundai is even adding fake engine noises to mimic normal cars.
Adding that feeling of throttle lag that you get from internal combustion vehicles will help ease discomfort for those who aren't used to the immediate torque of an EV, likely at the cost of some performance.
Other brands, like Hyundai with the Ioniq 5 N, are adding fake engine sounds that are linked to the pedal on their EVs and even adding fake flappy paddles that mimic gear changes. While this is just a bit of fun for the owners, it could actually help combat some of the motion sickness felt in an EV.It's hard to know how serious this problem is (where are those studies?). But if there was any evidence that EV's reduced motion-sickness the BBC would make it prime time news.
On Geoff Buys Cars, @JamesSmith-qs4hx says: EVs make me sick - and I don't even own one.
h/t Troy.
Reader Comments
Basically EV's are driven by Pedophiles....
They are more dirty than normal cars...
And kill women and children.
[Link]
[DISCLAIMER: I don't know if the gross included the eleventy gazillion dollars worth of SHIT HAPPENS bumper stickers.]
They steal your money before you made it...
Letting societies most corrupt, least intelligent manage operations, is destined to fail.
And you wont rid our societies by voting within THEIR system.