Driving through water / deep puddles with Mach-E ?

[Nextweek]

As the rain has been coming down fairly regularly recently, I saw a Land Rover with its air intake pipe driving around. Which then got me thinking, what happens with my Mach-e and other EV's with regards to driving through deep puddles?

On the one hand the car should be able to go through deep water, if everything is water tight. However, on the flip side, water could cause the batteries to short out and you'll be stuck in an electrified puddle of water.

I appreciate the manufacturers will say about safety systems and such. But has anybody had any real world experience driving their Mach-e through water that is as deep as the bottom of the door and if so, what happened?

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[hybrid2bev]

I drove though a deep puddle last summer. We were in GA and it rained like crazy for hours. The puddle was so deep we made a bow wake driving through it. The puddle was about 5 car lengths long. What happened? Nothing. We drove through the water and nothing happened. A few days later we drove home to MI and DC charged the whole way. No issues.

 

[RickMachE]

Like any vehicle, this is addressed in the manual. Bottom of the door would be inches too deep. Whether a person goes through deeper water, and had failure(s) or not isn't indicative of the ability of the vehicle to drive through deep water.

 

[Arsenic17]

Like any vehicle, this is addressed in the manual. Bottom of the door would be inches too deep. Whether a person goes through deeper water, and had failure(s) or not isn't indicative of the ability of the vehicle to drive through deep water.

Have seen other users post that driving fast through deep puddles ripped the "felt like" under carriage covering of the MME. This note in the manual probably relates to that.

 

[dtbaker61]

The electrical connections to the HV are 'waterproof' rated, the battery case is sealed, electrically the MME should be fine in deep puddles for short periods of time.

However, DEEP water, like approaching doorsill , might be deep enough to 'float' the car, lose traction, and either float downstream, or fail to move forward, and sink deep enough to flood the cabin.

There are BIG gaps around the suspension, which would create a lot of turbulence if you try to cross deep puddles fast.... probably rip the belly pan right off, so don't cross deep puddles fast, and I certainly wouldn't try to cross anything deeper than bellypan.

 

[MW1515]

I am NOT recommending using a MME to drive in deep water, but have you guys seen the video of the Rivian launching and retrieving a boat in a lake from the beach?!?!?! Obviously the Rivians are built with usage like this more in mind.

 

[sotek2345]

I am NOT recommending using a MME to drive in deep water, but have you guys seen the video of the Rivian launching and retrieving a boat in a lake from the beach?!?!?! Obviously the Rivians are built with usage like this more in mind.

I would trust a lake more than a deep puddle on the road. Lots of nasty chemicals in road puddles that can cause long term damage.

 

[bcaceres]

Rivian R1T and R1S have 4 motors (one at each wheel) and can ford 3 feet of water because there is no air intake to worry about. The Rivian motors and batteries would be exposed to water during such an undertaking. I don't think shorting the battery is likely given that everything should be waterproof. I think the biggest danger in a Mach-E would be the same as an ICE vehicle -- losing traction as the vehicle begins to float and getting stuck. One would think that the additional weight of the Mach-E would make floating the vehicle less likely, but in 2003 a Fire Engine got stuck in rain water near my old home and the fire fighters had to be rescued by helicopter. A Fire Engine weighs substantially more than any passenger electric vehicle in production. Maybe the Tesla Semi can compete in total gross weight.

Vegas Downpour - CBS Newshttps://www.cbsnews.com › pictures › vegas-downpour

 

[timbop]

I am NOT recommending using a MME to drive in deep water, but have you guys seen the video of the Rivian launching and retrieving a boat in a lake from the beach?!?!?! Obviously the Rivians are built with usage like this more in mind.

What the car CAN do and what Ford will TELL you it can do are very different things. As mentioned above: once water gets deep enough all kinds of bad things can happen that have nothing to do with how the car is designed. You could hit something submerged that causes damage, you could drive into a huge pothole that could cause damage, the car could remain bouyant and get swept away, or the water could be much deeper than anticipated and the cabin could flood.

As for the battery: it and the high voltage connections are designed and manufactured to be water sealed, so going through a few inches of water is fine. Deeper than that and a whole host of bad things happen that have nothing to do with the power train.

 

[Earplug]

Interesting Read
Why 6 flooded EVs burst into flames after Hurricane Ian

 

[Motomax]

As the rain has been coming down fairly regularly recently, I saw a Land Rover with its air intake pipe driving around. Which then got me thinking, what happens with my Mach-e and other EV's with regards to driving through deep puddles?

On the one hand the car should be able to go through deep water, if everything is water tight. However, on the flip side, water could cause the batteries to short out and you'll be stuck in an electrified puddle of water.

I appreciate the manufacturers will say about safety systems and such. But has anybody had any real world experience driving their Mach-e through water that is as deep as the bottom of the door and if so, what happened?

A shorted battery is not going to electrify a puddle of water, it’s just gonna catch fire lol. The battery and motors are exposed to the elements and built accordingly.
Deep water isn’t specific enough, are you talking 6 inches, 12 inches, 3 feet? I wouldn’t think twice about going through water that doesn’t reach the door seals.
Most people get into trouble two ways, hit the water too fast damaging their vehicle and shoving water places it shouldn’t be. The other is going too deep and/or too slow, allowing water to enter places it shouldn’t be like inside the vehicle. Depending on where the controllers are mounted inside the vehicle, water damage is very likely once it gets inside the cabin.

 

[Trick.Mach-E]

As the rain has been coming down fairly regularly recently, I saw a Land Rover with its air intake pipe driving around. Which then got me thinking, what happens with my Mach-e and other EV's with regards to driving through deep puddles?

On the one hand the car should be able to go through deep water, if everything is water tight. However, on the flip side, water could cause the batteries to short out and you'll be stuck in an electrified puddle of water.

I appreciate the manufacturers will say about safety systems and such. But has anybody had any real world experience driving their Mach-e through water that is as deep as the bottom of the door and if so, what happened?

On YouTube there is a person who films cars crossing the Rufford Ford not that far from you and it's a great time waster. I love how there is a view platform for spectators.

Anyway, I was shocked seeing a Mach-E!

 

[Logal727]

On YouTube there is a person who films cars crossing the Rufford Ford not that far form you and it's a great time waster. I love how there is a view platform for spectators.

Anyway, I was shocked to Mach-E!

Omg look at it go! Didn’t even hesitate! Must be a British thing.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

OK, I'm not saying this is deep

 

[Wonky_Donkey]

I love these Rufford videos - the things people try in their cars!

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