EVs vs Water
By now you've probably seen videos of Teslas blasting through some serious water. Doesn't that sound bad, given that they are EVs?
The battery is considered a "sealed" unit, but water can still get inside. Tesla batteries have vents to account for pressure changes from heat and atmospheric changes or altitude. A quick blast through a deep puddle is usually okay, but prolonged or deep submersion can get some water inside.
Cybertruck has "wade mode" which pressurizes the battery case for up to 30 minutes. Per Tesla, it can safely wade up to 32 inches of water.
Water ingress is often accompanied by physical damage to the housing from an earlier incident - perhaps hitting a brick on the road. Moisture inside can result in corrosion and failure of affected packs after several months. In fact, water damage is one of the main reasons for premature total battery failure in EVs.
Since batteries heat up during charging, this actually helps dry them out when moisture is present. You can cure your way out of a mild moisture issue by fast charging. It's the only other benefit of rapidly pumping electrons into a battery, besides saving time. Obviously no amount of charging will fix a massively flooded battery.
Slow charging is better for the longevity of the battery, but a minimum rate may help prevent corrosion. >2.5 kW seems to produce enough heat to evaporate any moisture that may have accumulated. This may not be true if charging outside in the winter in Michigan, however.
In the next installment, I'll compare EV water fording ability versus combustion cars!
