EV's in Deep Water

[goingbush]

Interesting video of Tesla Wading


https://youtu.be/FszARiU_jRI

from this article

Is a battery electric vehicle safe in a flood? | The Driven (https://thedriven.io/2018/12/04/is-a-battery-electric-vehicle-safe-in-a-flood/)


To get my LandRover EV Conversion blue plated (Road Legal) I had to install above mentioned inertia switch and ground fault detection , each of which disconnects the HAZV system .

[AK83]

Yeah, as long as the connections are well insulated against water ingress, can't see why wading wouldn't be possible.
But as we all know, give it a few years, and some wild temp variations, and those once well insulated connections may not be so insulated.

Water and electrical shorts !!! :thumbsdown:

I'd rather be stuck with a dead car, rather than be possibly electrocuted, or shorted to the point where it all catches fire .. etc.

A few weeks back whilst at work, we had some flooding around town, and in a similar dip under a bridge, there were about 4 or 5 cars all stuck in the thick of it.
Luckily the MAN I was driving has a nice simple non spark assisted motor type .. and about 4 foot high too boot. Barely got the hubs wet! [biggrin]
But snaking the rig between stuck cars was the hard part.

One thing I thought tho, was that these EV motors were supposed to have air cooling of some form, which would imply that air would get into the motor. And if air can get into the motor, obviously water will get in.
I've seen how (simple)electrical motors operate similarly to dead motors!! .. when they're submersed in water.
How do EV motors operate under water?
(as in what insulation design do they use to keep them operating?)

[goingbush]

as it said in the article , and as I added .

EV's are fitted with inertia switch and ground fault detection , each of which disconnects the HAZV system .

The way you blokes carry on about electricity being dangerous meh !! , do you realise your household cordless kettle has got 240V AC sitting right there on your kitchen bench , shock horror , has the potential to get water splashed over it every day , Its a wonder idiots aren't electrocuted daily.

Submersed 240V fountains & fish pond pumps , been in service 30 plus years , never heard of even a dead fish from an electrical fault.

The only risk of electrocution from an EV is if you got your head out the sunroof & get hit by lightning.

[goingbush]

One thing I thought tho, was that these EV motors were supposed to have air cooling of some form, which would imply that air would get into the motor. And if air can get into the motor, obviously water will get in.
I've seen how (simple)electrical motors operate similarly to dead motors!! .. when they're submersed in water.
How do EV motors operate under water?
(as in what insulation design do they use to keep them operating?)

Mine is Air Cooled , I have no problem at all driving through todays torrential water , My Dash TFT display shows 100% isolation = as good as a dry day , so no dramas whatsoever .

All production EV's and most DIY A/C Motors have IP67 or better sealing, which means can withstand being submerged to 1m for 1 hour.

[PhilipA]

While Teslas have waterproofong of their batteries and switchgear , they do not survive being immersed for long periods, say if you got stuck in a flooded area.
If you look at an early video by Rich Rebuilds , he buys a flood damaged Tesla and restores it. The battery and switch gear were both water damaged as were the motors.

Regards Philip A

[Arapiles]

Interesting video of Tesla Wading


https://youtu.be/FszARiU_jRI

from this article

Is a battery electric vehicle safe in a flood? | The Driven (https://thedriven.io/2018/12/04/is-a-battery-electric-vehicle-safe-in-a-flood/)


To get my LandRover EV Conversion blue plated (Road Legal) I had to install above mentioned inertia switch and ground fault detection , each of which disconnects the HAZV system .


Well there's no risk of ingesting water into the engine. So a snorkel won't be needed.

[LRJim]

Well there's no risk of ingesting water into the engine. So a snorkel won't be needed.Depends how deep you can go, you may need one for inside the car for air[emoji38][emoji38]

[Arapiles]

Depends how deep you can go, you may need one for inside the car for air[emoji38][emoji38]

Well, in all seriousness, the limitation at the moment is air intake - if the batteries in an electric 4WD are well sealed then in the future off-roaders may look back with bemusement at the issues ICE cars had in water.

[bee utey]

Who's been booted by a dodgy lead on a wet distributor after a good mud bash? Bloody dangerous IMHO, these new fangled 10 000 volt electrics.

[bigrolf]

[goingbush]

Ha, remember when I was about 7 dad was working on the old victa & asked me to hold the plug lead while he wound the rope & pulled it . Yeah real funny . Was supposed to be a lesson to give me a healthy respect of Electricity . He gave me a refresher course a few years later with one of the car plug leads .