water damaged MS @ baltimore airport from flooding

[tga]

We have 14+ years of hybrid cars on the road with high voltage batteries and no incidents of this ever occurring.

That's because electricity doesn't work that way. Even if the battery terminals were active (which they won't be without the 12V line present) any current that came out of the positive terminal would go through the water and directly back into the negative terminal through the shortest path possible - the water directly between the terminals. The only way it could energize the pool would be if the positive terminal was submerged, exposed, and energized and the negative terminal was not. A highly unlikely situation.

Also, water, particularly fresh rainwater (essentially distilled water) is not a good conductor of electricity. So any energizing of the pool would only be a very short distance from the battery terminals.

Good article on the subject:
New Vehicle Technology Awareness for Public Safety Divers

I agree with everything you wrote except for the bolded sentence. That situation would be harmless, and the pool would not be energized, because there isn't a complete path from - to +.

On dry land (not standing in a puddle with a partially submerged battery with one terminal underwater), you could grab one of the terminals of an EV's HV battery and you'd be completely unharmed. Touch the second and complete the circuit though, and you'd be in a world of hurt.

 

[ThosEM]

Thanks all for sharing some very interesting info. Driving through high water had been discussed in another thread, but this is important stuff of which to be aware...

 

[Electric700]

I wouldn't want to try it though, even with just one terminal :smile:.

...

On dry land (not standing in a puddle with a partially submerged battery with one terminal underwater), you could grab one of the terminals of an EV's HV battery and you'd be completely unharmed. Touch the second and complete the circuit though, and you'd be in a world of hurt.

 

[wk057]

I wouldn't want to try it though, even with just one terminal :smile:.

Yeah, I wanna touch em! [Monsters University] - YouTube @ 00:12

 

[wcalvin]

We have 14+ years of hybrid cars on the road with high voltage batteries and no incidents of this ever occurring.

That's because electricity doesn't work that way. Even if the battery terminals were active (which they won't be without the 12V line present) any current that came out of the positive terminal would go through the water and directly back into the negative terminal through the shortest path possible - the water directly between the terminals. The only way it could energize the pool would be if the positive terminal was submerged, exposed, and energized and the negative terminal was not. A highly unlikely situation.

Also, water, particularly fresh rainwater (essentially distilled water) is not a good conductor of electricity. So any energizing of the pool would only be a very short distance from the battery terminals.

Good article on the subject:
New Vehicle Technology Awareness for Public Safety Divers

There will be some capacitative current in some cases (what modern touch screens utilize) but not enough to shock.

 

[smartypnz]

BWI extended parking lots are ground level only.

 

[tom66]

Even if it did happen, there is essentially no harm within a few cm of the high voltage. Experiment demonstrating this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcrY59nGxBg&noredirect=1

The entire HV system is floating wrt to the chassis, which means you have to have two independent failures to make the chassis live, and you'd still have to touch some other external part of the battery to be electocuted.

The battery is also sealed against water - remember it's on the bottom of the car - as is the motor/inverter as it is glycol cooled. What will likely be damaged is all of the other electronics, such as interior comforts, the ECU/body control system, wiring harnesses etc. Plus interior damage. This will probably make the car too expensive to repair.

 

[jerry33]

What will likely be damaged is all of the other electronics, such as interior comforts, the ECU/body control system, wiring harnesses etc. Plus interior damage. This will probably make the car too expensive to repair.

That's probably true. No recent model conventional car survives immersion in water either.

 

[Chickenlittle]

BWI extended parking lots are ground level only.

Not pertinent to water discussion but I would never utilize long term parking at airports. Taxi significantly cheaper transport than rates there and car exposed to all sorts of issues