Rivian R1T Nonetheless Runs After Being Carried 100 Yards By Hurricane Helene Flood

• File flooding after Hurricane Helene has engulfed 1000’s of vehicles, totaling most of them.
• However whereas virtually no fuel automotive 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 seems to be like these seals can deal with actually unbelievable floods.

A Rivian R1T that was totally engulfed by Hurricane Helene’s flood waters by some means nonetheless works, based on 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 stage 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 as a result of flooding, and energy and water companies are out for numerous individuals within the space.  

Sauer stated he returned to seek 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 data. I am going to replace this submit if we hear again.)

Any fuel automotive 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: Take 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 automotive totally ready to name is insurance coverage firm and report a complete loss. However then his pal noticed the door handles come out, an indication that the battery was nonetheless working. When he acquired within the automotive, the proprietor says the R1T began up like nothing had occurred. He is since fast-charged it and pushed round city and to this point 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 data on how the corporate prevents water intrusion. In line with a spokesperson, Rivian batteries are well-protected from floodwaters and unlikely to pose a hearth danger 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 via our electrical isolation options,” the spokesperson informed InsideEVs by way of e-mail. “We actively defend 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 via the lifetime of our packs are strong. As soon as once more, our isolation monitoring options in our electrical and digital methods present sufficient detection.” 

That isolation monitoring is vital, as a result of it ought to mechanically lower energy if it detects water ingress into the battery. If the battery remains to be working, that doubtless implies that no water was capable of penetrate the Rivian’s sealed battery.

Provided that local weather change is making disasters like this extra widespread, and that electrical autos are wanted to cut 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 kind of automotive to train excessive warning utilizing a flooded automobile. Some corrosion and harm is not going to be instantly evident, and driving any automobile with flooded parts might pose a danger.

In case your EV nonetheless activates after a flood, we nonetheless advocate getting it checked out by a licensed mechanic. However in an emergency, when important companies are nonetheless down and mechanics are laborious to seek out, it is good to see that the R1T can energy on. 

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