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We're currently marooned due to road flooding where we are in Scotland at the moment. We've 1.5' to 2'deep stretches of water that I don't want to risk my IC car in but wondered how EVs manage with floods?
We've got food in, but nearly ran out of tea 😱🤣 so I might have to go for a spin on my 'analogue' gravel bike to source supplies (only 2.5miles away). Pretty sure the tongsheng'd HT would crackle and pop a bit in that depth?
Edit: depth estimated by size 13 Welly freeboard, or lack of it.
I wouldn't do 2 foot deep water in any car other than one specifically equipped for it. You could get water in all sorts of places it's not meant to be besides the high voltage stuff.
EVs have published wading depths as well as ICEs as far as I know.
We’re currently marooned due to road flooding where we are in Scotland at the moment.
Feeling your pain as we're just finishing Inverness to Fort William but by boat along the Caledonian Canal.
It's pissing down and has been since Friday and mates from home have been saying how they're pinching around in shorts and t shirts.😠
At least we're in the right mode of transport!
We did that trip in a hire boat over a week one Easter, it was ace if not £££
It's not so much immediate damage with EVs but long term damage.
But as with everything it's how you drive through. It's surprising how deep you can go in many cars if you do it right.
Penalty for failure is high. Someone on here killed a BMW in a few inches - my neighbour did his beemer in - but I had water inside the cab of the Landy on the same crossing. He was just being daft.
So it's not just if the battery/electrics get soaked it'll stop like if someone got water in their air intake?
I always go supper slow with high revs/slipped clutch and try to go on top of the camber/highest bit of road, but there's plenty who don't seem to think or like the paint work on the car, or want to take turns to get through bad bits.
Seen a few teslas go through the rufford ford (on YT)
apparently without damage, but as noted above, it’s the long term water damage that’s likely to cause bother in the future
I think someone demonstrated that you can drive a Tesla completely submerged. Main battery / motors are absolutely fine running in water but I suspect that if you hit the water with enough speed it would end up flowing around the scuttle panel where the 12V battery lives along with all the intakes for climate control and battery cooling.
Any parts of the electric system out with the passenger compartment on an EV should be fully sealed just like an ICE vehicle. Provided the passenger compartment is water tight, an EV should be able to handle deeper water, as they're typically heavier, so won't float and lose traction as quick, and you don't have to worry about water being inhaled by the engine.
I always go supper slow with high revs/slipped clutch
How to admit you have no idea how to drive in deep water, without actually admitting you have no idea how to drive in deep water (Hint. if you do go deep enough for the engine to inhale some water, high revs will greatly improve the odds of catastrophic engine failure)
Ah well, I obviously have been careful enough to not go deep enough or fast enough to do it. I was thinking (as told years ago) of stopping the exhaust from blocking.
Come tell the best way in a normal IC car, other than avoid it.
1m of freshwater will only create 0.1bar or 1.42psi of pressure, so if you ever do get in deep enough water to choke an engine via the exhaust, choking the engine is likely to be the least of your worries.
In deep water, as low revs as possible. That way if you do suck in water, there's a better chance (especially in a diesel) that the engine will be strangled before water reaches the cylinders, rather than high air flow dragging as much in possible.
Ta👍
My i3 has a higher wading depth than my 330i. I’d also be more confident of pushing those limits with the i3. The engine air inlet in the Touring is in the front radiator. And whilst it does travel up from there, it’s not by much. I’d guess 30cm from ground and you’d have water in the inlet and with decent forward momentum, you’d get that to the intake at a depth of 45cm. Far less issues with the i3. I’d be more worried about it floating.
There are a few YT videos of i3s wading to 90+cm (going past conked out IC cars) without immediate issues.
What's all this talk about floods. It's even glorious sunshine in rainy Manchester
EVs manage just fine in floods. Lot better than ICE vehicles. Wouldn't make a habit of wading though
What’s all this talk about floods. It’s even glorious sunshine in rainy Manchester
Am sure all those who's houses are currently under water will be relieved it's not raining in manchester
Aye Scotland has been battered, thankful here for just some heavy rain.
No, I’d not risk it just because of the risk of floating off away down the Tay.
Not stopped here (10 miles from longdog) since Friday night. Not torrential but heavy enough for long enough, plus the ground hasn’t dried out all summer. Just nowhere for the water to go. Main dual carriageway east out of Dundee closed yet again at the usual failure point. Think that’s the third time this year.
Just brightening up here Clubby, enough for me to wonder about riding to the village shop for some tea and milk, but I think it might still be above hub depth with field run off continuing 🤔
TBH, we've actually found some issues with the bigger EVs, you can wade deeper (as there's less to damage) but the batteries are low, long and well sealed. They also have a relatively large amount of air in them.
So in a normal car, the engine end sinks and the fuel tank end/middle tends to float. In a nice well balanced EV, with a relatively light motor at both ends and a big flat battery, both ends tend to float. Which is a whole new level of WTF we have to deal with when looking at wading.
No, I’d not risk it just because of the risk of floating off away down the Tay.
and as a consequence arriving in Dundee.