[NSMutableSet]

I am very curious about this, because my understanding was that any EV would fare better in wet conditions than most ICE vehicles, because the battery has so much insulation around it.

When I first got my EV, I was worried about how it would fare in the rain, especially when driving over large puddles. After reading about the insulation, I felt comfortable driving it in extremely wet conditions.

Now I'm worried that I may have to rethink that. Am I supposed to be worried about splash getting into the pack, staying there, and slowly ruining the battery? If I keep driving long enough, will motion plus the heat of the battery pack be enough to dissipate the moisture? Since I live in an extremely humid location, is that a concern too?

I've seen footage of Model 3s operating in flood zones, with the rear wheels essentially serving as propellers. Of course, I've never seen the results of what happened afterwards. Presumably the water got into the batteries, and the car would no longer start.

In that case, the driving-through-water functionality would mainly be for an emergency where the only other option is a complete loss of the vehicle, and/or something more valuable than the batteries, whether its a life or possessions.

I didn't think about that until now, because my previous assumption was that it was fine to drive an EV over water. I thought that the the only exposure that the batteries had to the outside world was through the charge port and the engine, and everything else was protected by insulation. But I didn't think about what the insulation actually was. I imagined it as some sort of metal or plastic shell.

edit: I hadn't seen this video before, but I know there's at least one other tweet Elon made where he doesn't disapprove of something that, as I now understand, is probably going to render the vehicle inoperable in the near future due the battery pack failing after exposure to water:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1615397502798409729

[_ea1k]

The batteries have breather valves. If subjected to enough pressure, they can lead to water ingress. Despite Musk's statements, submersion isn't recommended.

I have never heard of one failing from a puddle or just "rain", though. It makes me think there is more to this story.

[seltzered_]

I think it really depends on whether it's driving in water, parking in a heavy storm/flood, and what kind of water.

For example there was a warning just a few weeks ago for ev owners to park outside in higher ground due after a couple vehicles caught fire after hurricane Idalia: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-idalia-electric-car-c...

[nomel]

> at least one other tweet Elon made where he doesn't disapprove

Of course, lack of disapproval doesn't mean approval, and visa-versa. The documents that were signed, not an silly two word tweet, is what determines liability.

[peteradio]

Why would you be worried about driving an ICE in wet conditions at all? They don't have issues with this unless you drive under several foot of water.