Caught in a really HEAVY rainstorm!

[Diana Anderson]

Probably going to sound silly here so please bare with me…

Had my M3P for about a month now and only drove today in the rain. The rain was pretty normal for the journey until one part when out of nowhere the heavens just opened and it rained hard for about half a mile and then back to normal.
Now when I say hard, I have never experienced rain that hard! The traffic pretty much came to a crawl with hazard lights on, you really couldn't see in front of you, the wipers were useless.

This is the first EV for me and crossed my mind that there was a lot of water coming down, but a lot of standing water on the road. Not flooding but just heavy rain standing water as it was trying to run off the road, maybe like one inch.

I know these cars go through rigorous testing, but any possibility of water getting into places it shouldn't in those conditions?

Even going slowly water has to spray in all directions under the car. Can't get out of my mind there's a huge battery right under there.

Assuming it must be fine as most car washes have high-pressure undercarriage sprays (I don't use those washes) that Tesla must have considered, right?

 

[afadeev]

Had my M3P for about a month now and only drove today in the rain. The rain was pretty normal for the journey until one part when out of nowhere the heavens just opened and it rained hard for about half a mile and then back to normal.
Now when I say hard, I have never experienced rain that hard! The traffic pretty much came to a crawl with hazard lights on, you really couldn't see in front of you, the wipers were useless.

In a real downpour, wipers can't keep up.
However, if you apply rainX onto the windshield, it will allow water drops to bead of the glass faster than wipers could have moved them. Thus, I turn the wipers off, and can see better in heavy rain.

This is the first EV for me and crossed my mind that there was a lot of water coming down, but a lot of standing water on the road. Not flooding but just heavy rain standing water as it was trying to run off the road, maybe like one inch.

I know these cars go through rigorous testing, but any possibility of water getting into places it shouldn't in those conditions?

No.
The battery is well sealed. Don't worry about it.
If this was a problem, you would have heard about this by now from folks who had been driving EVs for the past 10+ years.

Assuming it must be fine as most car washes have high-pressure undercarriage sprays (I don't use those washes) that Tesla must have considered, right?

Right.

 

[KenC]

Silly? No, I kept my clothes on. Badaboom... I'll be here all week.

Anyhow, there's no issue with a Tesla and rain. Just be careful driving thru large puddles of standing water, as some vehicles have been known to have their fabric undertrays pulled off by the water. Also, check your tread depth as hydroplaning can happen just like in any other vehicle.

 

[GHammer]

wk057 tech (an independent Tesla servicer) has indentified battery pack moisture issues in pre-2015 Model S but has said redesign since has solved these. I've driven my 2015 S through a flooded I5 five years ago (video below, not mine) so deep water was coming over the hood and its been fine since.

 

[BobbyKings]

Why worry?

Tesla Model 3's "boat mode" videos are frightening and amazing at the same time

Any driver who has ever encountered floods knows just how unnerving the experience could be. Those who have driven a manual car through a flooded road would likely remember how tricky it was to balance the throttle on second gear to ensure that water does not enter the exhaust pipe. Those who...

www.teslarati.com

And Youtube is full of "Tesla as a boat" video's.

 

[GHammer]

Why worry?

Tesla Model 3's "boat mode" videos are frightening and amazing at the same time

Any driver who has ever encountered floods knows just how unnerving the experience could be. Those who have driven a manual car through a flooded road would likely remember how tricky it was to balance the throttle on second gear to ensure that water does not enter the exhaust pipe. Those who...

www.teslarati.com

And Youtube is full of "Tesla as a boat" video's.

But that doesn't say anything about the long term effects of such immersion.

 

[island driver]

 

[Perscitus]

OP you will be fine, I drove through a Cat1-2 hurricane for 250+ miles and a few Nor'Easters 80-160 mile trips (long boring story) with torrential downpours and continued rain, pooling, runoff and flooding for hours on highways, rural and mountain roads - then parked as heavy to moderate rain continued for a few more hours. No issues. No excessive water ingress.

Just make sure to keep everything closed and park in a well draining area, ideally on a slight incline. Once all is said and done (now) air dry the car, dehumidify the interior and make go to town on the suspension with an air compressor.