Driving a car through flood waters is a dumb idea and yes, that statement applies to all Tesla and other EV owners who may think that because they don’t have to worry about hydro-locking an engine, they can drive through deep water without a worry in the world.
Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of videos of Tesla vehicles being driven through flood waters. Quite often, it seems people are amazed at the sight of an EV driving through water, seemingly without any issues. However, doing this is not something that should be recommended or encouraged.
Watch: Tesla Model 3 Dives Into Flood Waters, Elon Musk Isn’t Concerned
This latest clip comes from China and shows a white Model 3 driving through deep water that covered a highway somewhere in the country. In the video, the driver can be seen meandering through the water at a slow speed, creating a large wake but appearing to avoid getting any water rushing over the hood. The water appears to reach the top of the wheels and had this been an ICE, that water would have been sucked through the grille and straight into the engine.
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has claimed in the past that the Model S can float for short periods of time and last year, even claimed that the Cybertruck will be able to “cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy.” It is statements like these that may have fooled the owner of this Model 3 into thinking they could get away with driving through the flood waters without issue.
While the Model 3 may have made it through the water, it is entirely possible that the dirty water will seep into important mechanical components of the car, potentially damaging it. In April, a Twitter user by the name of Jason Hughes revealed that a Tesla-owning client of his drove through water for a few seconds. A few days later, the car would not start and Hughes quickly discovered that water had seeped into the battery pack and it had started to corrode.