Do Electric Vehicles Induce More Motion Sickness Than Fuel Vehicles? A Survey Study in China

2025-06-27

AI Summary

Do electric vehicles (EVs) induce motion sickness more readily than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs)? This study presents the first quantitative comparison of motion sickness incidence and severity between EVs and ICEVs. Based on a retrospective survey of 639 passengers in China, coupled with multivariate statistical analysis, we find that EVs elicit significantly more severe motion sickness symptoms, yet exhibit a lower overall incidence rate. Key determinants include age, sex, sleep quality, in-vehicle visual activities (e.g., smartphone use), and road roughness. The study systematically identifies multi-source etiological factors spanning individual, behavioral, and environmental dimensions—moving beyond prior qualitative characterizations. These findings provide empirical evidence and targeted intervention points for human-centered EV design, particularly in powertrain response tuning and cabin visual ergonomics.

Technology Category

• Computer Vision: Motion & Tracking
• Application Domains: Mobility, Driving & Flight
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Model-Based Reasoning

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Practical large-scale studies of user experience
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a promising alternative to fuel vehicles (FVs), given some unique characteristics of EVs, for example, the low air pollution and maintenance cost. However, the increasing prevalence of EVs is accompanied by widespread complaints regarding the high likelihood of motion sickness (MS) induction, especially when compared to FVs, which has become one of the major obstacles to the acceptance and popularity of EVs. Despite the prevalence of such complaints online and among EV users, the association between vehicle type (i.e., EV versus FV) and MS prevalence and severity has not been quantified. Thus, this study aims to investigate the existence of EV-induced MS and explore the potential factors leading to it. A survey study was conducted to collect passengers' MS experience in EVs and FVs in the past one year. In total, 639 valid responses were collected from mainland China. The results show that FVs were associated with a higher frequency of MS, while EVs were found to induce more severe MS symptoms. Further, we found that passengers' MS severity was associated with individual differences (i.e., age, gender, sleep habits, susceptibility to motion-induced MS), in-vehicle activities (i.e., chatting with others and watching in-vehicle displays), and road conditions (i.e., congestion and slope), while the MS frequency was associated with the vehicle ownership and riding frequency. The results from this study can guide the directions of future empirical studies that aim to quantify the inducers of MS in EVs and FVs, as well as the optimization of EVs to reduce MS.

Problem

• Compare motion sickness prevalence between electric and fuel vehicles
• Identify factors causing severe motion sickness in electric vehicles
• Investigate passenger experiences to guide future vehicle optimization

Innovation

• Survey study on EV vs FV motion sickness
• Analyzed individual and environmental MS factors
• Compared MS frequency and severity metrics