Exploring Foolish EV Myths – CleanTechnica

Final Up to date on: 4th July 2025, 11:18 am

A fantasy is a perception that’s based mostly on a small kernel of reality however then will get blown fully out of proportion. Now that the Republican Celebration has determined the US authorities needs to be realigned to favor companies and billionaires — neither of that are talked about within the Structure — the main focus going ahead will likely be on extracting, refining, and burning each molecule of fossil gasoline out there anyplace on the face of the Earth. Since an EV (electrical automobile, if you’re simply becoming a member of us) is extra environment friendly than a automobile powered by an inside combustion engine, it’s considered by some as spawn of the satan that should be eradicated as shortly as attainable.

That form of paranoia results in myths that quickly develop into city legends, which then get amplified by delinquent media and the Fake Comedy Channel. Right here’s a doozy that simply set the teletype machines within the CleanTechnica newsroom clattering this morning. In accordance with Autoglym, a purveyor of fantastic automobile care merchandise within the UK, 21 p.c of UK drivers surveyed imagine they threat getting shocked whereas washing an EV. This carefully correlates to a different fantasy — that you just can not safely drive an EV via a automobile wash.

In accordance with Motor Commerce Information, 8 p.c of drivers age 55 to 64 imagine this nonsense, however that quantity rises to an astonishing 46 p.c amongst 25 to 34 12 months olds. Within the 18 to 24 12 months outdated age group, 40 p.c stated they might get shocked whereas washing their EV. For causes identified solely to UK residents, 45 p.c of automobile homeowners in London imagine the shock threat nonsense, whereas solely 7 p.c of drivers in Wales imagine it. Maybe there may be some anti-EV thoughts virus that’s destroying the mind cells of Londoners however has but to search out its approach to the Welsh countryside?

Quentin Willson, a UK tv character, provided this opinion on the matter: “Getting a shock when cleansing an EV is a really outdated fantasy and fully false. Automobile makers rigorously check battery EVs for security and carry out particular water soak exams to verify all excessive voltage elements are insulated and shoppers are at all times protected. On YouTube there’s numerous footage of EVs driving effortlessly via heavy floods. There’s no proof anyplace of somebody getting a shock from an EV whereas cleansing one. Electrical vehicles have been on sale since 2009, so if this was genuinely a hazard, we’d find out about it by now.”

Certainly we might, Quentin, though your reasoning ignores the truth that individuals imagine what they need to imagine. Information and science don’t have any affect on a closed thoughts.

Lee Irving, the technical coaching supervisor at Autoglym, was extra particular. “We all know that the world of EVs generally is a thriller to some, however ensuring that the misconceptions are rectified is extraordinarily necessary, particularly as we’re all being inspired to make the swap to this new type of clear mobility. Whereas we suggest homeowners keep away from flooding an EV’s charging port with water, cleansing one is not any extra harmful than cleansing a petroleum or diesel powered automobile.”

Petrol, for these of you who are usually not steeped in UK tradition, is how the Brits say “gasoline.” There is no such thing as a reality to the rumor that petrol is made out of the carcasses of petrel birds. Talking of rumors, right here’s how they get began. Motor Commerce Information ends its report with this tidbit: “The first distinction between cleansing an EV and cleansing an inside combustion engine (ICE) powered automobile is the quantity of brake mud, in line with Autoglym, as regenerative braking is utilized by most EVs.”

Nicely, that’s stunning information certainly, since regenerative braking doesn’t use the mechanical brakes hardly in any respect and subsequently an EV creates far much less brake mud than a standard automobile. However individuals will learn that and imagine that each EV creates clouds of brake mud whereas driving.

Regen & EV Movement Illness

One other EV fantasy being hyped by so-called information businesses just lately claims that persons are more likely to undergo from movement illness whereas driving in an EV. The Guardian ran a narrative on this phenomenon just lately that defined all of it.

“Better illness in EVs might be attributed to an absence of earlier expertise, as each a driver and as a passenger, the place the mind lacks accuracy in estimating the movement forces as a result of it depends on earlier expertise in different kinds of vehicles,” stated William Emond, a PhD scholar who’s researching automobile illness on the Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard in France. “If we’re accustomed to touring in non-EVs, we’re used to understanding the automobile’s movement based mostly on indicators corresponding to engine revs, engine vibrations, torque, and many others. But, touring in an EV for the primary time is a brand new movement surroundings for the mind, which wants adaptation,” he stated.

There’s a kernel of reality right here. Our brains can develop into disoriented when uncovered to unfamiliar environments. Some individuals discover driving on trains or airplanes unsettling, and seasickness is so frequent that it’s virtually anticipated of people who find themselves new to travelling throughout the water in vessels. Astronauts who expertise weightlessness for the primary time usually report feeling disoriented.

“If an individual has spent most of their life driving a combustion engine automobile, their mind anticipates acceleration after the rev of the engine, a warning that they’re about to expertise a change in pace. In a battery-powered automobile, the electrical motor makes no such noises,” The Guardian says. A examine in 2024 discovered a powerful correlation between the severity of movement illness and vibrations in EV seats. That will come as a little bit of a shock to readers who drive an EV, as there may be almost a complete absence of vibration in an electrical automobile whereas driving.

Regenerative braking could contribute to feeling disoriented. To be honest, completely different producers handle regenerative breaking otherwise. The algorithms that management regen can fluctuate significantly from one model to a different, and drivers who’re new to the EV expertise could take some time to discover ways to handle regenerative braking correctly. A 2024 examine steered regen was one of many major causes of movement illness in an EV.

“Movement illness is considered brought on by a mismatch between numerous sensory indicators the mind concurrently receives concerning the physique’s motion. Particularly, it occurs when the inside ear, which helps management steadiness, the eyes, and the physique ship conflicting data to the mind,” The Guardian studies. “With the ability to anticipate the motion of a automobile seems to be integral to the expertise of movement illness, which is why people who find themselves driving a automobile don’t are likely to expertise signs. They know what’s coming.”

None of that is meant to disparage those that expertise movement illness, which is analogous to vertigo. Nobody who has skilled it — as I’ve — ever desires to repeat the expertise. The issue is the facility of suggestion. As soon as we hear about another person’s expertise, we usually tend to imagine we’re affected as properly. There’s a fantastic line between accountable journalism and sensationalist reporting.

I’m feeling somewhat queasy myself simply interested by all this. I believe I’ll go exterior and wash my EV — within the rain.