TikTok influencer exposes the EV feature that's making people feel motion sick
A TikTok video has highlighted a little-known EV feature that is making a lot of people feel motion sick.
In a clip posted to TikTok, influencer Ambar Lee appeared to feel sick in the back of an electric vehicle, adding the caption: “WHEN is there gonna be a non EV option for Ubers?”
This prompted many people to take to the comment section to share their own experiences with electric vehicles.
On social media, one user wrote: “Yes!!!! electric vehicles make me feel so travel sick!?”
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Another said: “My parents bought an EV and now i have to drive seperate to family things.”
A third person commented: “It’s the regenerative breaking. All you have to do is ask the driver to turn it off. Mine takes two clicks on my wheel and it’s off.”
And a fourth added: “It’s because of regenerative braking. It makes me feel sick too! But you can have it turned down or fully off which is a game changer.”
What is regenerative braking?
The feature is used by Tesla vehicles and other EVs, which helps the car’s battery regain some energy by converting its kinetic energy into electrical energy.
However, this can cause passengers to feel travel sickness, particularly if they’re using a phone or screen device.
Lee Elliott, who is the chief product officer at tech recycling comparison site Compare and Recycle, explained: “Car sickness is often caused by a mismatch between what the eyes see and what the body feels, and using a phone or tablet while in a moving vehicle is one of the most common triggers. Regenerative braking can make this worse, since the more variable deceleration adds another layer of motion the body has to process. But it’s worth knowing there’s a built-in setting that can help reduce that effect.
“Vehicle Motion Cues, found under Settings > Accessibility > Motion on most Apple devices, display a subtle set of moving dots around the edge of the screen that shift in response to the car’s movement.
“Because the dots move in sync with the vehicle, they give the eyes a visual cue that matches what the inner ear is already sensing, which is what helps ease that underlying mismatch. It works with the device in normal use, so people can still watch videos, play games or read while it’s active. It can be set to come on automatically whenever the phone detects it’s in a moving vehicle, so there’s nothing to remember once it’s set up.”