Teslas are bursting into flames in Florida after being flooded during Hurricane Idalia
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As reported by CBS News, at least two Teslas caught fire in Florida after being submerged in saltwater during the flooding that accompanied Hurricane Idalia. One of...

Teslas are bursting into flames in Florida after being flooded during Hurricane Idalia | Saltwater and lithium-ion batteries are a bad combination::undefined

    • Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.worldEnglish
      20·
      1 year ago

      They are likely IP rated in some form or fashion, that means they are rated for protection for a period of time at a certain depth. Deeper water or longer time in water means you still get water past the seals.

      It could also be a control fault or short on the electrical side allowing the other components to catch fire or overloading the batteries causing them to overheat and catch fire.

      • Player2@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        41·
        1 year ago

        Also, IP rating is not valid for salt water or any other fluids such as alcohol, only fresh water

    • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.worldEnglish
      15·
      1 year ago

      I doubt their designs are hurricane + flood proofed.

      Also the high voltage disconnect/fuse is under the seats. Flood that and you’ve got a problem.

      • Hiccup@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        34·
        1 year ago

        I truly doubt anybody at Tesla thinks that far ahead. A prime example of this was that magnificent cyber truck showcase.

    • Showroom7561@lemmy.caEnglish
      11·
      1 year ago

      If manufactured properly, they should be.

      Water ingress can happen where cables plug into places - literally like a straw that draws water towards the battery pack. Again, if properly sealed, this should not be an issue.

      But I can’t imagine any modern vehicle surviving being flooded by saltwater. If not the battery then any other electrical component, or even the motor, would corrode over the coming days, weeks, months.

      • Puzzle_Sluts_4Ever@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        1 year ago

        Yeah. I don’t know if teslas are particularly worse on the design side (but we can make an educated guess…) but I would not expect any EV to hold up for an extended period of submersion.

        But also… people should realize how heinous all the water anywhere near an ICE car is when it is submerged. Or, you know, all the sewers that are flooded too.

        Like, flood water is some of the vilest shit in existence. You are LUCKY if you only get hepatitis from swimming around in it.

        • Tibert@compuverse.ukEnglish
          51·
          1 year ago

          Well tesla has been publicised in multiple places as having bad quality control.

          So maybe I could also guess that they cut out some design costs on some models, which may not include battery protection because they would in most cases not get in contact with water.

          • Puzzle_Sluts_4Ever@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            I have zero doubts the teslas are worse (hence the “educated guess” snark).

            But also? This is not just holding up against water. It isn’t even holding up against salt water. It is holding up against battery acid, human feces, cleaning chemicals, oil, gasoline, etc. A car that has been caught in a flood is totaled and a biohazard. I don’t expect EVs to be particularly better.

            I WOULD expect reasonable precautions to be taken. But if you are looking at standing water floods from hurricanes and the like? A few fires that are surrounded by water are the least of your worries. And there will be plenty of other fires for the disaster crews to deal with when they can.