- A YouTube channel recorded a Polestar 2 EV driving through deep water without issue.
- Most combustion vehicles attempting to do the same take water into their intake and stall.
- EVs will allow you to keep going on a flooded road that would pose serious problems for an ICE car, but it’s still a bad idea to drive into deep water.
Among the many advantages electric motors have over combustion engines is the fact that they don’t need to draw in air to work. This makes them better in many situations, including high-altitude driving where you don’t experience any power loss, but also in the event of a flood. While it’s not advisable to drive your vehicle through deep water, an EV will likely push through while an ICE vehicle will stop working the second it starts sucking in water through its intake.
We saw this play out during the severe flash floods that hit Dubai in April of 2024. Hundreds of cars ended up stranded on highways, with the occasional EV making its way in between or around them. There are countless videos from different floods that show EVs that keep on going when ICE cars stop, and the latest one we saw was uploaded by Vehicles Vs Water.
This YouTube channel has videos shot in the U.K. showing cars crossing flooded roads. There are many places around the island where roads go through a ford, the shallow part of a river. This is fine when the water level is low, but many drivers still choose to drive through the water even when it’s way too deep.
There are hundreds of videos on the channel basically showing the same thing: drivers throwing caution to the wind and literally driving into a river hoping to get out the other side. The start of one of the more recent uploads shows a Polestar 2 going through the river crossing with water going up to the windscreen and even above it. But the EV undramatically powers through to the other side.
It’s the only electric vehicle in this particular video, when virtually all other ICE vehicles that try to pass quickly stall and remain stranded in the middle of the river. If you enjoy people ignoring common sense and driving their cars into water, then you can (as we did) browse through the many videos uploaded on the channel, and you will find the story repeats itself.
So if you live in an area where roads may be prone to being flooded, an EV may allow you to keep going when an ICE car wouldn’t. Just don’t intentionally drive your EV through water and keep it in the water for long, as this can lead to a fire. Even though all of the potentially dangerous high-voltage components are sealed and there is little chance of them discharging into the water, it’s best not to push your luck. Other components may be damaged if submerged for a long time in a car that wasn’t designed to wade through rivers.
Plus, even a car that survives its dip at first may face issues down the road. Water intrusion can corrode wires, mess with electronics and lead to mold growth, among other issues. So even if your EV doesn’t stall when you go through an unexpectedly deep ford, you should probably get it checked out by a technician shortly thereafter. Still, at least you’ll probably be able to get to the shop under your own power. The internal combustion cars in the video above aren’t so lucky.
