Foren

Same question as prior posts. No worry. The floor will flood before the car fails.

The plus side is that the battery pack (and car) is heavy enough that it won't start floating away, and you'll have enough traction to drive out of the deep part. Especially true if you have the air suspension and raise it as much as possible.

David70;
I wouldn't be too sure! A volume of water equal to the total cubic meters inside a Model S would weigh about that many tons. By Avogadro's principle, as soon as just over 2 tons of water are displaced (about 2 cubic meters) the S is floating.

By Archimedes principle, weight of volume of water displaced would be north of about 6,000 pounds (62 lbs / cu ft).

So if the weather seals were perfect (unlikely), the battery mass wouldn't sink it.

More practical consideration for the driver is whether would it keep running if the battery/motor/ drive electronics were partially submerged -

It looks like TM has housed all these critical parts with appropriate seals, so it's likely it would keep driving - for a while at least. That should be good enough to cross most washed-out intersections without stalling or damage.

Probably more resilient than an ICE car in this regard.

Battery is liquid cooled and leaks are bad for cooling system so if water can't get out it is very unlikely that water getting in is any concern for actual battery. Only "weak spot" for underwater exploration are electric connectors outside the battery pack between it and rest of the car (battery swap requires connector there) and I believe they are also quite well protected against foreign contaminants like water.

Then instead of the aero wheels, maybe we can get aqua wheels with fins for propulsion. Better get the tech package with the auto lift gate so I can deploy the emergency rudder easily.

Worst case scenario: Open the pano roof, climb out and wait to be rescued! I think I've read somewhere that they call the chassis or whatever a surfboard design; maybe there is more to that than originally thought!

Brian,

I didn't say submerge the whole car. Just the batteries. It's still much heavier with the batteries than without them. and the higher the car, the less of anything but wheels are submerged.

@bsimoes, I think if you find yourself in deep water, you'll be unlikely to be able to open the panoroof due to sensors shutting down the battery. You'll need to use the MythBusters approach.

Living in a place that is prone to flash road flooding, I also had this concern, and (at least if you have air suspension), you can raise the car to 1.3" above normal which gives you a ride height of 7.4". Anything higher and the water can start seeping into the interior. In that case, Tesla says there are many sensors around components that will indicate water ingress, and that the car will do everything possible to protect itself and its occupants. The battery compartment and all high voltage connections are sealed and water tight, but they still don't recommend fording rivers. :-)

MarkK;
right, of course. Archimedes, not Avogadro. Brain short-circuit from discussion on another site. (;-p

The inflated tires would make a difference, too.

Instead of the emergency rudder, a twin props could be deployed. An extra-cost option with the Aqua-Tech package, available in late 2013. Alternatively, Aqua rims with flanges for APW (Advance Paddle Wheel) propulsion can be purchased.

Eeh, props are overrated:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIDtwhLs5_0

stephen.pace, thank you for posting that link! All our inconveniences and worries are quite relative... Amazing people, amazing low tech, no jobs for wimps.

Ah, it's worse than that. Like a chicken, water is crossing the road to get to the other side, which often means it's moving. Sometimes swiftly. Get in deep moving water, and even partialy submerged tires take a significant amount of weight off the road. Then provide a lubricated interface between the rubber and the road, and tons of lateral force from the pressure of the moving water, and you're swept off the road into really deep water, really fast. Very dangerous scenario well before the battery is completly submerged.

With that 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, you can displace a lot of that water from under the tires quickly... ;)

stephen;
That's mudroad drivers, I think! Probably all guys with non-functioning forebrains (anticipation of consequences, etc.).

Driving across rivers in full spate is probably an adrenaline rush equivalent to a firefight. What some people will do to avoid boredom! ;)

Brian H, boredom is the least of these guys' problems.

VB;
Those used to high intensity combat or high-risk work find boredom to be a very real and agonizing problem. Very like the depression from going cold turkey off amphetamines. Race car drivers, downhill ski racers, etc., all talk about feeling "alive" when under threat. And unalive when not.

There's a saying, that there's nothing like the thrill of being shot at ... and missed!

Ever since man hasn't had to run to save himself from a larger predator while hunting, we testosterone based life forms have been hungry for the thrill a close call provides.