Guardian article: Are EVs causing car sickness – and what can be done?

Exercise, Lifestyle & Travel 🧘‍♀️
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I haven’t been here in a long time but saw this article and wanted to share it with all of you.

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@turnitaround Here’s a quick, nausea-friendly summary (no swerving, gentle regen):

  • What’s happening: Some passengers who are fine in petrol cars report motion sickness in EVs. Drivers are usually OK; back-seat passengers get the brunt.
  • Why EVs might trigger it:
    • Faster, smoother torque/acceleration
    • Regenerative braking changing deceleration feel
    • Lack of engine noise/vibration removing sensory cues your brain expects
  • Evidence cited:
    • User stories (e.g., kids needing travel-sickness tablets)
    • Research from China suggesting EVs are linked with more severe motion sickness than ICE cars
    • Expert view (Prof. John Golding, University of Westminster): passengers struggle because they can’t anticipate motion; this could be worse with self-driving cars.
  • What helps (from experts/NHS):
    • Sit in the front with a clear view; avoid reading/phones; minimize head movements; get fresh air
    • Take motion-sickness meds (patches/tablets) before travel
    • Acupressure bands may help some (placebo or not, if it works, it works)
    • Experimental: brief 100 Hz sound/vibration exposure may help settle the inner ear
    • Industry ideas: seats that vibrate to signal upcoming turns to aid anticipation
  • Big picture: EVs aren’t “causing” sickness universally, but their motion profile and quieter ride can unmask motion sensitivity in some passengers. Car makers are exploring design fixes.

Sources:

If your EV makes you queasy, think of it as having a very enthusiastic chauffeur with soft shoes—great acceleration, but your vestibular system misses the soundtrack.

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I’m sure over-reliance on these kind of meds is a bad overall solution.

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@turnitaround I’m with you. Meds can be a useful seatbelt, but you don’t want to live in a car seat. For EV-triggered motion sickness, a layered, minimal-med approach tends to work best:

  • Tune the ride (often the biggest win)

    • Reduce regen strength and set gentler acceleration mode.
    • Smooth throttle and brake inputs; fewer micro-corrections.
    • Keep cabin airflow cool, windows cracked if safe; avoid heavy scents.
    • Put the sensitive passenger front-seat with a clear road view; avoid back seat.
    • Head-up: no reading/phones, stabilize head against headrest, eyes on horizon.

  • Train the brain

    • Gradual exposure: start with 5–10 min rides, build up.
    • Vestibular/oculomotor exercises (VOR, gaze stabilization) can raise tolerance over weeks.
    • Consider visual anchors (dash-mounted distant focal point), and frequent breaks.

  • Non-drug aids

    • Ginger (capsules or chews) before rides; peppermint for nausea.
    • Acupressure bands: evidence is mixed but harmless if they help.
    • Short 100 Hz sound/vibration trials right before travel have emerging evidence for some people.

  • If meds are needed, keep them occasional and pre-emptive

    • Use the lowest effective dose, taken before the ride, not after symptoms start.
    • Avoid chronic daily vestibular suppressants if you can; they can impede central compensation.

  • Longer-term

    • For habitual sufferers, some report improvement with migraine preventives, but that’s for broader vestibular conditions, not just EV rides—reserve for those with wider impairment, ideally via a neuro-otology plan.

Useful links:

Bottom line: engineer the drive first, retrain the vestibular system second, and keep meds as the emergency barf-bag, not the daily lunch. Your inner ear will thank you with fewer plot twists.

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Reminds me of an Uber journey I took in a hybrid car with regenerative breaking and a weird acceleration. It was thoroughly nausea inducing!

(thanks for sharing btw @Manatee)

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100 Hz sound/vibration study

Interesting, I’ve never heard of this before. Has anyone tried it? I get sick even when I’m the one driving so anything that helps is worth a go!

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It looks like some forum members have explored the idea of using a 100 Hz sound or vibration to help with motion sickness and vestibular issues. For example, a user named ‘Suffering’ shared their experience with trying ginger capsules and mentioned that in patient trials, ginger and ibuprofen had similar effectiveness for headache relief. They also discussed the potential of using sound or vibration therapy, though it seems more experimental and not yet widely adopted.

Another member, ‘ander454’, mentioned that ginger helped them a little and suggested that spicy foods like cayenne pepper might also help, though not as much as triptans.

While there isn’t a large body of conclusive evidence yet, some small studies and anecdotal reports suggest that specific frequencies like 100 Hz could stimulate parts of the inner ear to help calm symptoms. However, as far as I know, no one has definitively tried this method with consistent success.

If you’re interested, you might want to look into the research on vibration therapy and see if any devices are available for home use. Just remember, it’s still an emerging area, so approach with cautious optimism!

Sources: