Video Shows Tesla Model S Impressively Floats Through Floods

A car that driving through flooded streets will rejoice any car owner. So must be Tesla Model S owners, after a recent video showed the sedan moving effortlessly through gushing flood water as if ‘floating’ on the road.

Twitter users were treated with footage of Tesla Model S wading through a flooded neighborhood making onlookers surprised.

The Twitter post over the weekend was well received by the electric car lovers.

The brief video by Texas-based Richard Richter showed Tesla Model S moving on even as other sedans were lying parked or stranded on the side of the road.

The only other vehicle that moved through the floodwaters was a sturdy truck pulling a trailer.

This prompted a viewer to comment that the electric car driver must have “lost his mind” from the awesome surprise that the Model S could move undaunted by the gushing water.

The video’s location is assumed to be somewhere in Texas as suggested by Richter’s social media account.

Many areas of Texas have seen flooding, with the National Weather Service cautioning residents along a part of the Mississippi River. Flood warnings were issued in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma as well.

Certainly, driving through flood water with low ground clearance as in a sedan is not advisable. But the reported incident shows Tesla’s electric cars are resilient to floodwaters on the road.

The videos of a Tesla Model S floating like a boat while passing through a tunnel in Almaty, Kazakhstan went viral in 2016. That drew a comment from EO Elon Musk hailing the Model S’ drive units and battery for the feat.

Expert view on electric vehicles’ flood performance

There are often questions from users whether an electric vehicle (EV) floating on a main-street is more dangerous than a petrol car.

According to experts, there is a performance IP (International Protection) rating system that EV electrical components need to comply with. The IP rating is displayed on most things sold in the market.

In a typical IP rating, as in IP65, the first number denotes sealing against dry stuff such as fingers or dust. The second number refers to resistance to water ingress.

IP65 means that the part is sealed against dust and protected against low-pressure water jets.

But high voltage sections such as motor, speed controller and battery must carry EV electrical components with the IP66 or higher rating.

A rating of 6 will mean the best protection against water entry against strong jets of water and ‘8’ will offer the highest water entry rating.

When an EV floats down a flooded road the electrical components will stay safe because they are well sealed and unlikely to cause any electrical hazard to occupants or bystanders.