Electric cars have long been celebrated as the future of transportation: no emissions, low noise, and instant acceleration.
As cities push for greener mobility, EVs are quickly becoming a common sight on roads across Europe.
But as the number of electric vehicles grows, so does the number of drivers and passengers reporting an unexpected discomfort — a sudden wave of nausea that wasn’t an issue in traditional vehicles.
What makes this so puzzling is that many of these complaints aren’t coming from passengers scrolling through their phones, but from the drivers themselves.
And the cause isn’t as straightforward as one might assume.
When the brain loses its balance
According to Mads Klokker, a leading medical expert at Rigshospitalet in Denmark, the issue stems from the way electric cars behave.
Unlike combustion engines, EVs can accelerate and brake far more abruptly — especially due to regenerative braking systems.
This creates an unnatural pattern of movement that the brain struggles to predict.
In traditional cars, the familiar hum of an engine gives subtle cues to the body about speed and motion.
Electric vehicles, being nearly silent, remove that auditory feedback.
Without it, the brain relies heavily on conflicting sensory information — what your eyes see, what your inner ear feels, and what your body expects — and the mismatch can cause symptoms like dizziness and nausea.
More screens, more sickness?
The problem doesn’t stop with acceleration. Many electric cars come equipped with large digital dashboards and information-rich touchscreens.
While sleek and modern, these visual stimuli can overload the senses, especially during movement.
For some people, it creates a perfect storm of sensory input that worsens feelings of unease and discomfort.
This article is based on information from Teksiden and TV 2 Kosmopol.
This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.