The Surprising Reason Why EVs Are Making Some People Sick

In the 1990s and early 2000s, electric vehicles were seen as playthings of the wealthy and of people who were extremely environmentally conscious.

These days, they have become the daily drivers of many average people.

Sure, the cost an other factors have prevented them from being the first choice for many people, but we see more EVs on the road every day.

As they have become more common, some people are noticing a disturbing trend: riding in an EV makes them ill.

Now, science has figured out why this is happening.

Why Are EVs Making Some People Sick?

According to an article on the Gadget Review website, some people are becoming ill because of a unique form of motion sickness.

Over the centuries that we have been riding in gasoline, diesel, or steam powered vehicles we have become accustomed to hearing and feeling the the engines.  However, with fully-electric vehicles, there is no noise and very little vibration.

Apparently, that noise-less (and, vibration-less) movement is what is causing people to become ill when they are in an EV.  In an electric vehicle you no longer get many of the 'tells' letting you know that the vehicle is accelerating.  There is no warning.  It just happens.

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Not surprisingly, passengers are most affected by this issue.  If you are driving the vehicle, you have some sense of when you are accelerating, decelerating, or turning.  When you are a passenger, you are just along for the ride.  Right?

Other Problems Caused by an EV's Lack of Engine Noise

This is not the first problem caused by the lack of motor sounds coming from completely electric vehicles.

About a decade ago, some vehicle manufacturers (including VW / Audi) tackled the problem of the silent motors causes problems for the visually impaired.  Lacking sight, many had learned to rely on the sound of approaching vehicles.

I am not sure where the discussion ended, but as I recall, there was talk of making an imitation engine sound an option on some EV models.