One of the many questions or perhaps misconceptions that people have about electric cars is that they cannot go through even the most mild of floods. Naturally, people are concerned as flash floods seem to be becoming a regular issue here in Malaysia and common sense tells you that electricity and water do not mix.
However what many people aren’t aware of is that electric cars actually tend to fare better in flood conditions compared to internal combustion engine cars. This is because an electric motor has no air intake, so there is no chance of hydrolock, where water gets sucked into the engine intake and damages the engine.
Here’s a video of Farhan A Rahim’s Tesla Model 3 going through a flood in Kuantan back in January 2021. According to Farhan, the water was deep enough to fully cover his Tesla Model 3 LR’s tyre. The Model 3 LR comes default with 18 inch aero wheels but can be specified optionally with 19 inch sport wheels.