Dogs ‘prefer electric cars to diesel ones’

According to recent studies, dogs feel more at ease in electric vehicles than in diesel ones.

internet-based auto marketplace In a recent study, CarGurus and the University of Lincoln examined the impacts of driving an electric vehicle (EV) vs a diesel vehicle (Diesel).

Twenty dogs were employed in the two-day study, and each dog was driven two 10-minute distances in an electric vehicle and a diesel vehicle. They examined their behavior while on the trip.

The University of Lincoln’s Daniel Mills, a professor of veterinary behavioral medicine, led the study, which discovered that dogs were less comfortable in diesel vehicles than in electric ones. Additionally, canines that seemed to be experiencing some symptoms of car sickness showed significantly less of them in an electric vehicle.

According to the study’s findings, there is no proof that EVs are bad for dog welfare. This allays anecdotal worries that dogs may become more car sick or uneasy due to the variations in vibration and/or noise experienced in an EV.

Regardless of the engine, the dogs in the study only slept for about a third of the trip; but, when in a diesel vehicle, they slept for an average of 50% longer than when in an electric vehicle.

One additional noteworthy study finding was that a tiny percentage of dogs seemed noticeably less queasy in an electric vehicle (EV) as opposed to a diesel vehicle. Their heart rates dropped by as much as 30% when they were in an electric vehicle, as evidenced by behavioral changes.

“Our results clearly show that dogs seem to be more relaxed in EVs, particularly when looking at behavioural traits such as restlessness,” said Professor Mills.

“Additionally, an interesting and somewhat unintended revelation from the study came from the dogs that we identified as having potential symptoms associated with travel sickness.

“During their journeys in the EVs, biometric recordings of these dogs revealed their heart rates slowed markedly more than when they were in diesel cars.

“This was of particular interest to us given an increase in heart rate is commonly associated with motion sickness.

“It’s an intriguing result, which raised additional questions for exploration within this field.”