Science reveals the truth of why you're feeling carsick in EVs
If you've found yourself questioning why you feel a little queasy behind the wheel of the future, don't worry. It's a real thing, and you're not the only one.
According to multiple studies, there are very scientific reasons why a person may experience more motion sickness in an electric vehicle.
Lack of previous experience
Though EVs are becoming increasingly popular, most people's experiences with cars are based on combustion cars.
If you've learnt how to drive in a conventional petrol car, you've likely adapted to their specific cues.
According to a 2020 study published in Applied Ergonomics, the lack of a traditional engine sound could be an influencing factor to motion sickness.
'Being able to anticipate upcoming motion is known to potentially mitigate sickness resulting from provocative motion,' the 2020 study said.
For example, upon pressing the accelerator pedal and hearing the rev of the engine, your brain will prepare you for the increase in speed.
In an electric vehicle, drivers may experience a low hum or even no sound at all, making it harder for their brain to anticipate movement.
'If we are accustomed to travelling in non-EVs, we are used to understanding the car's motion based on signals such as engine revs, engine vibrations, torque, etc,' William Emond, a PhD student at the Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard in France, explained to The Guardian.
'Yet, travelling in an EV for the first time is a new motion environment for the brain, which needs adaptation,'
Regenerative braking
Similarly, EV's 'regenerative braking' is also a contributing factor to nausea in drivers.
For those unaware, regenerative braking is a system where the vehicle's kinetic energy is generated automatically through the action of braking, and routed back into the battery as usable power.
Regenerative braking can cause motion sickness for EV drivers, especially for those who have the EVs set for max regenerative braking, or for those using one-pedal mode, as the act of simply lifting off the accelerator would cause the car to slow down dramatically.
For drivers, it can feel like the car is slowing down when they haven't prepared for it, and throw off their balance.
'Better knowledge on self-motion allows us to anticipate motion forces, which is crucial for motion sickness,' Emond explained to The Guardian.
'Yet, 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.
'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'.'
For those considering purchasing some new wheels, Australia's car market is undergoing one of its biggest shake-ups in decades, with some experts calling it the most dramatic shift in automotive history.
Australia has become a viable market for Chinese car manufacturers which has lead to aggressive local pricing, especially from brands such as BYD, Chery and GWM.
Carsales.com.au data services Director Ross Booth said much of the automotive growth is coming from electric and electrified vehicles.
'We're seeing a clear shift towards more fuel-efficient vehicles, with strong growth in New Energy Vehicles – which include hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery electric vehicles,' Mr Booth said.
Hybrid and electric vehicle sales made up just 8 per cent of new cars in 2021, jumping to 25 per cent by the end of 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
EV saves the day during ‘bomb cyclone'
Don't miss out on the headlines from On the Road. Followed categories will be added to My News. I'm writing this story in the dark at home, with a blackout having just hit in the lower Blue Mountains. I've got no electricity, no hot water, and thankfully just enough battery power on my laptop to tell you that I wish I had a home battery pack… But I kind of do. Because I'm a car reviewer, and I test out lots of new vehicles. And some of those vehicles can run household appliances in emergencies. 'Vehicle-to-load' or 'V2L' is the terminology used for this ability to use a vehicle's high voltage battery pack to power things other than the electric motor of the car itself. You might remember earlier this year, during Cyclone Alfred, when EV owners surprised the internet with how their cars kept their fridge cold during power outages. It is common in fully electric cars, like the Hyundai Inster I have parked in my driveway right now. Cars drive through flooded roads in Moore Park. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw MORE: How 'The Chargers' will keep power on during storms It's a $40K-ish small EV with a little battery, and while it isn't fully charged, I can plug into the exterior charge port using a special adaptor to plug in a household appliance or a powerboard. This particular EV offers up to 3.6kW of power output, even when the car itself is switched off. That means I could run a cable to a fridge, heater, or even emergency medical equipment to keep things powered up. The tech is becoming more commonplace in electric cars, and it has even found its way into some of the most popular cars on the market, like the Ford Ranger. There's a new plug-in hybrid version of the Ranger with a set of powerpoints built into the tub area, which allow you to do much the same thing – power appliances or charge battery-powered items using the vehicle's high-voltage battery. The so-called 'Pro Power Onboard' has a maximum output of 6.9kW – two tub-mounted plugs at 3.45kW each, and another outlet in the cabin (2.3kW). The BYD Shark 6 ute also has V2L – in fact, it has three powerpoints in the tub, with a maximum output of 6.6kW. That's enough to keep a household running. Maybe even get a load of washing done. MORE: The revolutionary feature in plug-in hybrids Some EVs can run power to everyday appliances. Picture: Supplied There have been stories over recent years that couldn't have been told before the age of EV battery tech – like the owners of EVs that came to the rescue in Cyclone Alfred earlier in 2025, or the woman who used her EV to keep her son's dialysis machine going in 2023. Seriously, it could be as simple as running an extension cable to neighbours in need, or making sure your $500 worth of shopping won't spoil because of a flimsy power network. And yes, you can use it for powering tools at the worksite, or even setting up your Christmas decorations, but this underrated and underappreciated technological advancement is literally saving lives every day around the world. So the idea of an electric vehicle, or even a hybrid one, is not just about saving fuel and 'doing your bit for the environment' – it's also potentially a clever investment if you don't want to go for a home battery system. It's like a mobile home battery in some ways. And with the current 'bomb cyclone' smashing NSW and more insane and unpredictable weather events almost certainly heading our way, it's time I brave the deluge and get outside to the Inster to run an extension lead inside to keep my laptop powered up. Might even plug in the kettle for a nice cuppa, too. Originally published as Why some cars are lifesavers in a blackout
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
2025 Ferrari Amalfi revealed
It's hard being beautiful. Human or automotive, keeping your looks can sometimes prove an impossible task. With all that weight of responsibility on their shoulders, designers could have bottled it when it came to freshening up the Roma – that's already been declared the Prancing Horse's most beautiful car of modern times. Surely, a mild facelift was the safest option, although like in the real world, a quick nip and tuck has the propensity to go very wrong indeed. Instead, Ferrari took a much braver decision to pension off the Roma nameplate and start afresh with the Ferrari Amalfi. Referencing the pretty, picturesque cliff-top town located south of Naples, designers worked like artists to create a simpler, sleeker, as if carving a piece of automotive sculpture. Take that with a pinch of salt, but the result is nonetheless striking, borrowing plenty from the 12Cilindri, but beautiful? We'll leave that up to you. Sharing no body panels with the Roma, beneath the Amalfi's smoother skin lurk the Roma's lightweight aluminium spaceframe and its front, mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre V8. That's right, despite millions invested in an all-new hybrid V6 for the 296, Ferrari's latest GT keeps its V8, escapes electrification and makes 15kW to boot. Now packing 471kW of power and thumping 760Nm of torque, the gains come from an engine that breathes easier, with quicker-spinning turbos and lightweight internals for elastic responses. Bolting on a smoother, quicker-shifting version of the old car's eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, careful kilo-cutting means 0-100km/h now takes just 3.3 seconds – 0.1sec swifter than before, while top speed remains pegged at 320km/h. Ferrari insists it hasn't turned its back on people who bought the 2+2 coupe for sedate coastal cruises, but still couldn't resist tinkering with the Roma's sublime drive anyway. Gaining new springs and dampers all around, plus drive-by-wire braking, larger carbon-ceramic discs ensure the Amalfi is quicker to stop and faster on track. Packing Ferrari's cleverest 6D sensor and latest Side Slip Control (SSC) 6.1, the Amalfi is easier to drive fast too and said to be able to drift for Italy, if you're feeling reckless. Keeping it stable at higher speed is neat F1 aero know-how that includes fresh intakes above the headlamps that jet cool air into the engine bay, while a redesigned floor, prominent splitter, larger diffuser and three-way pop-out boot spoiler generate 110kg of downforce at high speeds. Most buyers will be more curious about what's happened within. While there's no more millimetres to speak of, the cabin does feel extra spacious thanks to a new centre console that's placed lower and is made from a milled-down block of aluminium. Present and correct is Ferrari's awkward gear selector gate, key holder and a wireless phone charger pad, plus a feeling that you're inhabiting something a cut above a Porsche. Changes include a switch to a landscape-mounted 10.25-inch infotainment that runs Ferrari's latest software and works with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Current owners will rejoice, not at the large 15.6-inch digital instrument cluster, or gimmicky 8.8-inch display for the passenger, but the fact Ferrari has binned the steering wheel's horrid, too-easy-to-trigger haptic controls and replaced them with proper buttons. Cementing its grand touring credentials, Ferrari offers three sizes for its heated, ventilated, massage Comfort seats and there's even an optional 14-speaker 1200W sound system if you tire of the V8. Speaking of which, engineers admit the V8 is a 'few decibels' quieter than before, which is irritating, but the biggest gripe must be the roll out of the adaptive cruise, AEB, blind spot detection, lane-keep assist and traffic sign recognition – which are all great for safety – but are joined by a dreaded intelligent speed warning buzzer. Luckily, the new steering wheel features a shortcut that can kill all the tech in a single-digit stab. More bad news is the price. While you wouldn't expect beauty like this to come cheap, Ferrari says its new Amalfi will be priced well beyond $475,000 when it lands in the second half of next year in Australia – and that's before the usual $50-100k of options most buyers add. The ugly truth is the most affordable Ferrari remains an expensive alternative to the Aston Martin DB12 ($455,000 plus on-roads) and Porsche 911 Turbo S ($559,400 plus ORCs). 2026 Ferrari Amalfi

News.com.au
18 hours ago
- News.com.au
Australia to miss out on lifesaving vehicle escape tech
Australia will miss out on life-saving technology designed to prevent drivers from drowning. Zeekr, a new electric vehicle brand, has developed a safety device that allows occupants to escape from a submerged vehicle. But the technology will only be offered in left-hand-drive markets, such as China, for now. . Zeekr's decision to deny Australian drivers new safety tech comes as a rising number of motorists fall victim to floodwater. Dr Francois Flocard, director of industry research at UNSW's Water Research Laboratory, said 'the number of fatalities in vehicles has increased in the last 15 years'. 'The feature you mentioned is interesting and definitely can help people', Dr Francois said. 'By the time water crosses the window, it's already very dangerous and almost too late.' Zeekr's tech a world first. It works with a lever tucked away near the driver's knees. A quick tug of a cable activates a window-breaking hammer within the driver's door that strikes the bottom of the window glass. Once triggered, the hammer can displace up to 3,000 newtons of force to shatter the window. This is approximately 33 times the impact strength of a typical safety hammer, equivalent to the force of five adults simultaneously smashing into the window. More than 100,000 vehicles across Australia are equipped with electric door handles which may fail to operate when submerged in water. Earlier this year, it was revealed that not all vehicles have a manual door release mechanism as a backup in the event of a power failure. Power-operated doors use a car's 12-volt battery – not the high-voltage battery used to power electric cars – to enable occupants to exit the vehicle with the press of a button. If the car's 12V battery dies or gets disconnected after an impact, occupants must use a manual door release function to exit the vehicle quickly. Vehicle safety body ANCAP recently added vehicle submergence to its safety assessment criteria, a move aimed at helping first responders access trapped occupants and ensuring safe egress during flooding events. Carla Hoorweg, ANCAP's chief executive, said, 'in recent years, we've seen a number of significant flooding events across Australia'. 'The number of new vehicle models fitted with electric door opening is also increasing,' she said. 'Combined, these aspects highlight the strong need for this emergency access capability to help prevent unnecessary loss of lives.' When a car is submerged, water pressure makes it nearly impossible to open the doors. Additionally, electric door and window switches may also fail. ANCAP awards points in the Adult Occupant Protection assessment for vehicles equipped with effective submergence countermeasures. Manufacturers may offer alternative methods to open windows if standard measures are not demonstrated. Emergency glass hammers are an alternative means of egress that car manufacturers can opt to implement during ANCAP testing. Professor Giesbrecht, a world-renowned expert in vehicle submersions based in Canada, said the biggest danger isn't water – it's time. 'You get people who are awake and functional who drown because they don't know how to escape,' he said. Many people make the mistake of believing their car will protect them or that waiting for help is the safest option. But in a flood event, even emergency services can't respond in time. So Zeekr's groundbreaking solution offers a potential lifeline in these situations. Unfortunately, the brand can't justify a compelling business case to introduce this safety technology in Australia. And it is a decision that highlights a concerning trend in the current automotive market. Car makers are engaged in an intense EV price war in Australia due to excessive production levels. Unfortunately, this means every dollar counts, and manufacturers can't always justify including features that push up prices for consumers.
