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Tesla Hacker Urges People Not to Drive Their BEVs Through High Water

Most Tesla fans take Elon Musk's words at face value. They believed him when he said the BEV maker would have 1 million robotaxis on the streets in 2020. They trusted him when he affirmed Teslas would become appreciating assets due to FSD. Jason Hughes already classified that as a "blatant cash grab scam," but the Tesla Hacker is now aiming at another Musk remark: that a Model S would work as a boat for short periods of time.
Jason Hughes advises you not to take what Musk says at face value, especially if it involves turning a Tesla into a boat 25 photos
Photo: Jason Hughes
Jason Hughes advises you not to take what Musk says at face value, especially if it involves turning a Tesla into a boatJason Hughes advises you not to take what Musk says at face value, especially if it involves turning a Tesla into a boatJason Hughes advises you not to take what Musk says at face value, especially if it involves turning a Tesla into a boatJason Hughes advises you not to take what Musk says at face value, especially if it involves turning a Tesla into a boatThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradeThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradeThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradeThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradeThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradeThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradeThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradeThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradeThe Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgradePart of the Work Involved With Repairing A Battery PackTesla's Budget to Replace the Battery Pack in the Model SThe Error Message Hoover's 2013 Tesla Model S P85 PresentedThe Bank Account's Balance of Most People NowadaysDiagnostics on Hoover's 2013 Tesla Model S P85Tyler Hoover "Begs" for Help With His 2013 Tesla Model S P85Jason Hughes Works on Tesla Battery PacksJason Hughes Works on Tesla Battery PacksPete Gruber Explains the Tesla Model S Battery Pack Repair His Company PerformsTesla Model S Shanghai Fire That Would Have Demanded the 2019.16.1 and 2019.16.2 OTA UpdatesTyler Hoover "Begs" for Help With His 2013 Tesla Model S P85, Jason Hughes Comments the Repair
According to Hughes, that is just not true. He had to argue with a customer who showed up with an electric sedan with a catastrophic failure in the battery pack. The client did not associate driving through "a little bit of high water" for "a few seconds" with having his Model S present a "vehicle may not restart" type error and then die entirely several days later.

The delay happened because the Model S owner crossed a deep puddle of fresh water, which takes more time to corrode stuff than salt water does. As Hughes said, "driving through water near or above the bottom of the rocker panel" led this customer to take his car to 057 Technology – Hughes' repair shop. It also forced the Tesla Hacker to tell the client that the Model S battery pack had "no core value." In other words, it turned into junkyard material after the owner decided to trust Musk and use his electric sedan as a boat – even if pretty quickly.

Jason Hughes advises you not to take what Musk says at face value, especially if it involves turning a Tesla into a boat
Photo: Jason Hughes
A Tesla advocate tried to protect the Tesla CEO suggesting the Model S owner was stupid for confusing Cybertruck's capabilities with what the electric sedan could deliver. It was a sorrowful defense attempt: Hughes shared a tweet in which Musk stated that the "Model S floats well enough to turn it into a boat for short periods of time." This tweet is from 2016. Musk also said that was possible because the "drive units and battery are sealed." The Tesla Hacker also refuted that.

Tesla's TechnoKing should be aware that the sealing elements that these components present are mostly to protect them from dust and water spray. According to Hughes, "neither can survive submersion," which is what Musk suggested in his tweets. There's another one in 2018 in which the Tesla CEO reinforces the idea that the company's BEVs "can function as a boat for brief periods of time." Musk was sharing a story about another Model S that "swam" through a flooded tunnel. He just forgot to add that this works only once and that the BEV will stop working shortly after that. It would be nice of him if he also said how much Tesla charges for replacing a battery pack (around $20,0000) and motors (more than $10,000). Independent shops like 057 Technology charge much less than that.

Jason Hughes Works on Tesla Battery Packs
Photo: Jason Hughes
Hughes clarified that the "shaft seals, oil breather," vents, and check-valves – "meant to relieve internal pressure in the event of a fire" – are all points of water ingress. None of these components was designed to resist water pressure. The Tesla Hacker wrote: "As soon as the valves are covered in water of any depth (not just splashed or whatever), some (water) will get through. The more depth or pressure from motion, the more will get in."

The best line of defense from Tesla advocates came from someone who said Musk probably meant that the cars work as boats in a "case of life and death." However, the original tweet was not in response to any such situation, which makes it challenging to support that hypothesis. On top of that, what he said about the Cybertruck was that it was designed "to get from Starbase to South Padre Island, which requires crossing the channel." In other words, customers should expect it to work as a boat for a brief interval with no reliability concerns. They should also demand that it is included in Cybertruck's warranty terms before ever attempting to use it that way.

The Cybercat kit turns the Tesla Cybertruck into a catamaran or a hydrofoil, as a pricier upgrade
Photo: Cybercat
That's because what Elon Musk tweets or says cannot substantiate a warranty claim. Affected customers may try to take it to court, but there is no guarantee a judge will accept that as a valid or legally-binding argument. Either these capabilities are explicitly disclosed in the owner's manual, or Tesla buyers should not care about what Elon says, as Hughes stated he does. On the other hand, people should listen carefully to the Tesla Hacker's recommendations: it may save them a lot of money.

Teslas are not boats. There is no proof the BEV maker will ever sell any vehicle with such capability. Unless you want to end up paying thousands of dollars to buy a new or remanufactured battery pack and motors, you should never cross deep-water puddles or try to make your Tesla float anywhere. Not even if it uses 4680 cells and a structural battery pack: foam also gets wet, which may corrode cells and contacts. While Tesla does not expressly commit to replacing components damaged by moisture, keep your BEV away from deep puddles or water streams.


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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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