Submerged Vehicle Guidance

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Can't recall this being linked to in an official capacity, but it's good to see Tesla offering proper official guidance on it now. I got linked to this via a notification from the Tesla App. I'm in the path of hurricane Milton, but I'm not in an evacuation, or flood zone. The Waffle House in my town is remaining open, so I'm riding it out If you own an EV and leave near the coast get it away from salt water and just generally try to avoid letting sit with water above the battery pack for an extended period of time.

They are advising to move the car away from other cars and structures as soon as possible if it's fully flooded. That means they fully expect those batteries to go up in flames if it's summerged in salt water. Wonder if the advice changes at all if it's not salt water

No? It’s just… good advice?

Moving the car to high grounds is a no brainer

"Tesla recommends charging to 100%" ..... "reduce the state of charge by..." Which is it man?!

Just throw it in car wash mode /s

Salt water is highly conductive. Fresh water is factors less so. Obviously flooding is bad for any vehicle, but did you see [this video about the R1T in Asheville?](https://youtu.be/52TYEQT_J1s?si=zC-S3RIOrOqx-7PP)

It’s 100% if you’re able to move it to a location not at risk of flooding. 0% if you’re not.

No, Tesla doesn't "fully expect" ignition when submerged in salt water lol. It's a matter of probabilities where the risk is higher than usual in a certain situation, so take steps to lower your risk. Plenty of BEVs have immersed into salt water and live to tell the tale.

Jesus dude. Minimizing risk is not the same as betting on an event.  Go play and let the adults talk

Make sure the Tesla is 100% charged before driving off a cliff into the ocean for maximum lift

That hurricane looks terrifying. Best of luck to you, hope you get through it OK.

I love this Waffle House test so much. Best of luck, and hopefully it weakens even more than predicted!

When waffle House or Disneyland closes you know shit is real :D

The Waffle House open/closed test is the most real test of safety I've ever heard of I wonder if Disney World is staying open this hurricane though, it's supposed to pass right over Orlando edit: Alright I'll answer my own question, this is one serious hurricane because Disney World is closed https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-milton-florida-theme-parks-orlando-cee52fcf4286b5a63432325c5400f0d1

I thought that would be a cool ad showcasing the exceptional water resistance of Tesla vehicles instead it felt more like an insurance thing

Charge to 100%, so you can GTFO if needed, then reduce the charge if you're staying, but it's going to flood

Not gonna lie, I am a bit concerned it hasn't started weakening yet, but I should be fine

Disney World (Disneyland is in California) is closing. But they're a major tourist place, so that's expected to keep people safe. Waffle House is where emergency crews go to get food and such, so they're more critical

Disney World announced they're closing around noon/1pm tomorrow, and remaining closed through Thursday. Believe it or not, I had my wedding reception back in September 2004 when the state was hammered by hurricanes, and we were at Disney World for hurricane Jeanne. They closed it then too. Frankly, Disney World is the best place to ride out a hurricane

Science!

Just put it in rice...

Yeah, sure, if your vehicle is flooded make an appointment with Tesla. Then you'll hear nothing back for 2-3 months. Tesla service is a joke.

We’ve all seen the Helene Mud Rivian, right?

That's a different set of circumstances. The key issue with hurricanes is largely going to be the salt water from the storm surge. *Every* hurricane there's Teslas that catch fire from storm surge flooding. The Rivian didn't have to contend with salt water. On top of that, the mud likely acted as a sealant of sorts to protect the vehicle further. I would not compare the two situations, though the Rivian surviving that just fine was admittedly bonkers, and if I were Rivian, I'd be doing a whole marketing campaign around that.

The 'Waffle House Index' is used more for triaging aid after the storm. Open with full menu? The area probably doesn't need urgent help. Running on a genset with a partial menu? Send help soon. Closed, hours after the storm has passed? Send help NOW.

...if you can find some. I saw pictures of cars parked on a bridge in Tampa, the only spot above the expected storm surge.

[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle_House_Index) has a page dedicated to the Waffle House Index

Its all fun and games until the Epcot ball starts rolling. 🤣

True. But difficult. I wonder if the average height difference between any two points in Florida in the storm path is more than 10 feet.

That seems like a really dumb place to go to be on higher land…

[Perhaps](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fnf9y8344bktd1.jpeg) From /r/tampa

Do LFP batteries also burn in salt water?

As far as I'm aware, they all do to some extent. Salt is corrosive, and that's the key issue

I’m glad they posted this guidance. But the guidance is also just a nicely worded way to say “please try to minimize the likelihood your vehicle is flooded.” I’m glad they talked about reducing SOC though that was a good thing to learn.

It’s nothing to do with the corrosiveness of salt. The battery is waterproof, but if there’s damage; saltwater is more conducive than freshwater, so the effects are amplified a little bit. Either way, if the casing to the battery fails and water enters, you’re in trouble. There’s tons of videos and articles about teslas getting swallowed by the tide or crashed in the ocean that never combust. Even one in Europe that was discovered submerged but the battery never failed.

Good to see Tesla publishing a non normal checklist.

They should let me pressurize the battery and raise the Cybertruck from the app. Right now you have to get in the vehicle.