- Report flooding after Hurricane Helene has engulfed 1000’s of vehicles, totaling most of them.
- However whereas nearly no fuel automobile can deal with being submerged, a Rivian R1T nonetheless works after being almost totally submerged and carried over 100 yards by floodwaters.
- Rivian says it designs seals into its battery packs to keep away from water intrusion, and it appears like these seals can deal with actually unbelievable floods.
A Rivian R1T that was totally engulfed by Hurricane Helene’s flood waters one way or the other nonetheless works, in keeping with a Fb video posted by Joshua Vincent Sauer.
Within the video, you possibly can see that the Rivian is roofed in mud that reached as much as its roof. The proprietor tells Sauer that he parked it close to the Swannanoa River within the Asheville, North Carolina space. When Hurricane Helene hit, the water degree rose, flooding the encircling space. The cataclysmic flooding has ravaged the Southeast, devastating North Carolina and different states and resulting in over 100 deaths.
Many roads and whole districts are nonetheless impassible resulting from flooding, and energy and water companies are out for numerous individuals within the space.
Sauer stated he returned to search out the truck over 100 yards from the place he parked it, carried by floodwaters. (InsideEVs reached out to the proprietor on Reddit for extra info. I am going to replace this put up if we hear again.)
Any fuel automobile I do know of can be totaled, as saltwater would have penetrated each a part of the engine. However the Rivian’s sealed for water fording, and the relative simplicity of an EV makes it simpler to forestall water intrusion. Do not take my phrase for it: Have a look at the R1T he drives, and the way it nonetheless runs after being completely swallowed by hurricane-level flooding.
The proprietor says he walked as much as the automobile totally ready to name is insurance coverage firm and report a complete loss. However then his good friend noticed the door handles come out, an indication that the battery was nonetheless working. When he obtained within the automobile, the proprietor says the R1T began up like nothing had occurred. He is since fast-charged it and pushed round city and to date seen no points.
A considerably much less muddy Rivian R1S throughout a first-drive occasion.
It is no coincidence {that a} Rivian survived this. As a part of my analysis for my story on battery fires after a flood, I reached out to Rivian for info on how the corporate prevents water intrusion. In response to a spokesperson, Rivian batteries are well-protected from floodwaters and unlikely to pose a hearth threat if flooded.
“Along with the sealing of our packs, that are verified earlier than automobile set up, we monitor any publicity to water ingress inside our batteries by means of our electrical isolation options,” the spokesperson informed InsideEVs by way of e mail. “We actively shield the shopper and the automobile from any additional harm in such occasions. As a part of our intensive battery testing, we additionally run salt spray checks to show that our corrosion mitigations by means of the lifetime of our packs are sturdy. As soon as once more, our isolation monitoring options in our electrical and digital techniques present ample detection.”
That isolation monitoring is essential, as a result of it ought to mechanically minimize energy if it detects water ingress into the battery. If the battery remains to be working, that possible implies that no water was in a position to penetrate the Rivian’s sealed battery.
On condition that local weather change is making disasters like this extra frequent, and that electrical automobiles are wanted to scale back our carbon emissions and stop additional harm, it is good to see that EVs will be made to operate after excessive floods. However we would warning any driver of any sort of automobile to train excessive warning utilizing a flooded automobile. Some corrosion and harm won’t be instantly evident, and driving any automobile with flooded elements may pose a threat.
In case your EV nonetheless activates after a flood, we nonetheless advocate getting it checked out by a certified mechanic. However in an emergency, when important companies are nonetheless down and mechanics are laborious to search out, it is good to see that the R1T can energy on.
Contact the writer: Mack.hogan@insideevs.com.
