Whenever it encounters urban flooding, a gasoline-powered vehicle is prone to engine stalling. Electric vehicles have an advantage over gasoline cars in that they lack an engine, transmission, air intake, and exhaust pipes, allowing them to continue driving on flooded roads.
However, electric vehicles rely on electrical energy, and when the battery comes into contact with water, it may short-circuit, leak electricity, or even lead to severe situations such as combustion or explosions.Therefore, the ability of electric vehicles to navigate through water becomes a major concern for manufacturers.
BYD Yang Wang U8 Floating Mode
BYD introduced an emergency floating system with their Yangwang U8 model in September last year. By activating this system, the vehicle can float on the water surface like an airbag and continue operating normally.
When activated, the combustion engine will immediately shut down, Disus-P will raise the suspension to the maximum level, windows will be closed automatically, A/C will be switched to internal circulation, and the sunroof will open, providing an emergency exit. Moreover, the vehicle will display the water depth and attitude on the central control screen.
The interior screen also automatically displays the water depth and vehicle attitude, assisting the driver in monitoring the vehicle's status and responding promptly to emergencies.
YangWang has released a video showing the U8 floating on water, and even wading through that water via its turning wheels – travelling at speeds up to 1.8mph (or 2.9kph).
The design of BYD's high-end car not only meets the performance of the vehicle, but also pushes its functions to more fields, achieving real climbing and wading, and really solving the problem of the vehicle stalling when it meets water.
Tesla's Cybertruck 'Wade Mode'
Apart from BYD, Tesla's Cybertruck electric pickup truck has also attracted attention for its water capabilities; Musk confirmed that it can be used as a boat. It can travel at least 100 meters in water, easily handling extreme road conditions such as heavy rains.
The feature, the first for a Tesla, can be found and toggled on or off in the vehicle's off-road settings. Tesla says wade mode "raises ride height and pressurizes battery when driving through water."
The informational screen in the vehicle reads that water levels shouldn't be higher than the top of the bumper, and that the mode can take up to 10 minutes to activate and has a time limit of 30 minutes, after which point the mode will automatically deactivate.
Using a technology von Holzhausen called the "scuba pack," the designers used the Cybertruck's air suspension system to pressurize the battery.
"It forces air into the pack," von Holzhausen said. "All you need to keep the water out — because it is a sealed pack — is just a little bit of positive pressure."
According to von Holzhausen, it's possible to go through a little more than two and a half feet of water, or around 30 inches, without any water getting into the cabin.
Although Cyber truck can't cross lakes and oceans as Musk once promised, it does make the function of "wading mode". Looking forward to the future, we can usher in the era of driving on lakes and oceans.