Maybe a dumb question, why do electric cars have issues with water?

My understanding was that ICE cars have trouble because water get's drawn into the engine. Water in the engine causes it to stall. And the engine must have air in flow and out flow.

An electric car doesn't need air in the same way (no oxygen to ignite with gasoline, no air to compress and expand).

Shouldn't electric cars to much better at driving through water?

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AngryData 6 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

You also have to consider the bouyancy of wheels and body panels not yet filled with water which will kill traction, or if the water is moving it doesn't take a lot to push vehicles around.

Most cars crossing water don't get stuck because the intake is blocked by water but because they either floated or get pushed away by the flow (or slammed into the water hard enough to break stuff). If you maintain forward movement and dont float most cars will keep going in water 4-6 inches above the intake height because of the wake and bubble of the engine compartment. You only really benefit from a snorkel if you are offroading through water where there may be unseen holes because submerging your entire engine and drivetrain that deep is still a horrible idea even with a snorkel.

Also if you don't have a direct motor on each drive wheel you still have to worry about water entering differentials and transfer cases even if the electronics are perfectly sealed.

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hamdingers 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

They can drive through surprisingly deep water, but you'd still rather avoid it for a lot of reasons. Dangerous loss of traction and risk of getting swept away, soaked passengers will want a refund, and a sopping wet interior will take the vehicle out of service for a while.

	▲	callbacked an hour ago \| parent [-]
		that and the seal for the battery enclosure can seize up after continuous drives through dirty water, the next passenger may not be so lucky and end up stranded once water breaches the battery pack

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an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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LatencyKills 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Deep water can still damage an EV by getting into connectors, sensors, wheel bearings, brakes, and cabin electronics.

They can also float just like a regular car.

	▲	SoftTalker 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yep if they are watertight they will float, if they aren't, they'll fill up with water.

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thunderfork 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Another reason water and ICE cars don't mix is the wiring harness. Even if you don't flood the engine, you'll be having trouble with the electrical for the rest of the car's life. (Or, at least, that's the conventional wisdom)