Ever since we were young, we’ve been told that electricity and water don’t go together too well. A few years and one very useful Myth Busters episode later (the one where they showed what happens if you relieve yourself on an electrified rail track – nothing), we now know that the two can live happily together as long as some precautions are taken.
Even though electric vehicles owners weren’t probably worried about driving in the rain, don’t be surprised if this was something that held a few potential customers back. Of course, the battery pack is perfectly insulated, and there’s no way that an unintentional discharge could ever occur as long as nothing perforates it, but the thought alone of sitting on top of all that voltage is enough to make those who never changed a light bulb in their lives run away screaming.
That being said, at no point did Tesla or any other EV manufacturer encourage their clients to drive a car through large bodies of water. The electric vehicle setup has its advantages over the classic internal combustion engine solution in these situations, and it mostly has to do with the fact that it doesn’t need air; it also has a very low center of gravity and an overall greater mass, which makes an EV less likely to float and thus lose contact with the road surface. And yet, the common sense advice is “don’t cross a flooded tunnel.”
That’s because water tends to corrode metal, and since the Model S isn’t entirely made out of aluminum, there are plenty of parts that can catch rust over time, and water tends to make that happen a lot faster.
But that didn’t stop this Kazakhstani driver from plunging into a flooded underpass, with water reaching as high as the base of his windshield. He goes by a few stranded ICE cars and emerges victorious on the other side. Only time will tell whether his stunt was worth it (considering he only gained a few minutes a detour would have taken, the answer is probably “no”), or he’ll end up biting his nails at the sight of the repair bill over a few years.
Ever since this video emerged on the Web, Elon Musk gave a few insights: “We *def* don't recommend this, but Model S floats well enough to turn it into a boat for short periods of time. Thrust via wheel rotation.” OK, so given the blind trust Tesla owners have for Elon Musk, there won’t be long before somebody attempts crossing the Atlantic in a Model S. You’ve read that here first.
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