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

• Report flooding after Hurricane Helene has engulfed 1000’s of automobiles, totaling most of them.
• However whereas nearly no gasoline automobile can deal with being submerged, a Rivian R1T nonetheless works after being practically 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 appears to be like 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, in keeping with 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 degree rose, flooding the encompassing space. The cataclysmic flooding has ravaged the Southeast, devastating North Carolina and different states and resulting in over 100 deaths.

Many roads and full districts are nonetheless impassible attributable to flooding, and energy and water companies are out for numerous folks within the space.  

Sauer stated he returned to search 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 publish if we hear again.)

Any gasoline automobile 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: Have 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 automobile totally ready to name is insurance coverage firm and report a complete loss. However then his buddy noticed the door handles come out, an indication that the battery was nonetheless working. When he obtained within the automobile, the proprietor says the R1T began up like nothing had occurred. He is since fast-charged it and pushed round city and up to now 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 fireplace threat 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 advised InsideEVs by way of e-mail. “We actively defend the shopper and the automobile from any additional injury in such occasions. As a part of our intensive battery testing, we additionally run salt spray assessments 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 techniques present ample detection.” 

That isolation monitoring is necessary, as a result of it ought to mechanically lower energy if it detects water ingress into the battery. If the battery continues to be working, that probably implies that no water was in a position to penetrate the Rivian’s sealed battery.

On condition that local weather change is making disasters like this extra frequent, and that electrical autos are wanted to scale back our carbon emissions and stop additional injury, it is good to see that EVs might be made to operate after excessive floods. However we would warning any driver of any kind of automobile to train excessive warning utilizing a flooded automobile. Some corrosion and injury won’t be instantly evident, and driving any automobile with flooded parts might pose a threat.

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

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