Stuck in flooded subdivision.. how high of water can Mach-E drive through?

[RickMachE]

Rivian can do 43 inches.
Cybertruck can do 32 inches.
F-150 Lightning can do 24 inches.

Mach-E can only do 6 inches. It's not an off-road EV.

Lightning is not 24 inches. From the manual:

LAUNCHING OR RETRIEVING A BOAT OR PERSONAL WATERCRAFT
When backing down a ramp during boat launching or retrieval:
• Do not allow the static water level to rise above the bottom edge of the rear bumper.
• Do not allow waves to break higher than 6 in (15 cm) above the bottom edge of the rear bumper.
Exceeding 6 in (15 cm) could allow water to enter vehicle components, causing internal damage to the components and affecting driveability, emissions and reliability.

and

Always determine the depth before attempting a water crossing. Never drive through water that is higher than the bottom of the wheel hubs.

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[Thesmoothdome]

How high of water can the Mach-E safely drive through?

Our subdivisions streets got flooded. All rain water, no salt water. No water intrusion in my house or garage. And luckily never lost electricity.

The only entrance/exit for our subdivision has 2 to 3 feet of water to drive through to get out.

Can the Mach-E handle that? I’ve seen some ICE cars drive through, and others that have stalled out. This is day 4.

I got caught in a low area during a storm and had to drive through about 2 feet of water as they were closing the road. Car handled it fine, but I don't know about another foot.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Lightning is not 24 inches. From the manual:

LAUNCHING OR RETRIEVING A BOAT OR PERSONAL WATERCRAFT
When backing down a ramp during boat launching or retrieval:
• Do not allow the static water level to rise above the bottom edge of the rear bumper.
• Do not allow waves to break higher than 6 in (15 cm) above the bottom edge of the rear bumper.
Exceeding 6 in (15 cm) could allow water to enter vehicle components, causing internal damage to the components and affecting driveability, emissions and reliability.

and

Always determine the depth before attempting a water crossing. Never drive through water that is higher than the bottom of the wheel hubs.

Two feet is reported in the automotive press for the Lightning. Apparently the journalists directly asked the engineers what the wading depth was, and they said “about two feet”. I’m going with what the engineers said.

I think this is a classic case of engineers vs lawyers. It is strange the Lightning doesn’t have an advertised wading depth like the competition.

 

[RickMachE]

Two feet is reported in the automotive press for the Lightning. Apparently the journalists directly asked the engineers what the wadding depth was, and they said “about two feet”. I’m going with what the engineers said.

I think this is a classic case of engineers vs lawyers. It is strange the Lightning doesn’t have an advertised wadding depth like the competition.

Not a lot of Lightning owners put their trucks in boxes for shipping would be the main reason... [tongue-in-cheek] Sorry, couldn't resist.

As to wading depth ?, on the gas vehicles they always said "avoid water higher than the bottom of the hubs". And "If the transmission, transfer case, or front axle are submerged in water, their fluids should be checked and changed, if necessary. If the front or rear axle is submerged in water, the axle lubricant should be replaced". Took that out of my 2013 F-150 manual. People used to check the fill tubes to make sure they were up high if they were going to do things like stream fording.

 

[AZMMESTAR]

"...If you have to ask, don't do it..."

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

I got caught in deep water with a '79 F-100 responding to a flood in Louisiana in 1983.
I almost made it.

I was able to get it started after drying out the engine. And my father made me repack the wheel bearings. Transimission and differential had tubes that stayed above water, so no intrusion there. (We did check)

 

[bbulkow]

Lightning is not 24 inches. From the manual:

LAUNCHING OR RETRIEVING A BOAT OR PERSONAL WATERCRAFT
When backing down a ramp during boat launching or retrieval:
• Do not allow the static water level to rise above the bottom edge of the rear bumper.
• Do not allow waves to break higher than 6 in (15 cm) above the bottom edge of the rear bumper.
Exceeding 6 in (15 cm) could allow water to enter vehicle components, causing internal damage to the components and affecting driveability, emissions and reliability.

and

Always determine the depth before attempting a water crossing. Never drive through water that is higher than the bottom of the wheel hubs.

"six inches ABOVE the BOTTOM END of the bumper" is not six inches of water, unless the bumper is scraping the ground. Nor is the case of backing a trailer the same as driving through water (forward).

But let's say we work with it anyway.

Just eyeballing, the rear bumper is quite a few inches taller than the front bumper, and the listed ground clearance is 8.5 Inches, which I'm going to imagine as that front bumper height.. If I eyeball that as 6 inches, then get another 6 inches, add 8.... a bit over a foot and a half? Tallies with "around two feet" from the possible engineer quote?

That's also up to the top of the wheel rim, very generally, (not the top of the tire rim), which has always been a pretty good rule of thumb for me with ICE vehicles.

 

[flapjake314]

wasn't there a chinese EV that could turn into a boat

#ducktours

 

[AZBill]

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