Driving through flood waters.

[MarkH]

Climate change is increasingly making itself felt through heavy rain events.
What is the recommended practice for driving an 13 when flood waters of various depths are encountered - and why?
Clearly if water remains below the level of the sill then proceeding is OK, but what about levels above this?

 

[EvanstonI3]

I would think the results would be no different than driving any other vehicle through flooded waters.
The vehicle is not designed for it and while you may be able to do it, any water that gets into areas where there are electrical connections is going to cause accelerated corrosion at connectors.

AFAIK the biggest immediate danger to an ICE vehicle is getting water sucked into the engine air inlet which would cause the engine to lock up and seize causing quite a bit of damage. That's why you see some off-road vehicles outfitted with "snorkels" for the air intake that extend to the roofline. Not sure what other precautions they took to prevent water from getting in via other means but I would think someone planning to drive through streams has gone through the vehicle and taken extra measures to prevent the ingress of water into areas that were meant to stay dry.

Then there is the issue of "at what point does the vehicle end up floating?" I've seen countless videos of flooding where cars are sliding around, carried away and the water level is only just above the sills. At what point do you lose traction?

At what point does your Insurance consider the vehicle "totaled" due to submersion in water?

 

[MarkH]

Yes, I get that it is "not recommended", but on occasion, if you can drive through that big puddle, you can get home.

I guess I'm really asking whether there are any considerations around the high voltage in an EV that might alter what you otherwise consider to be a reasonable dunking to get home. At what depth of water might HV considerations kick in?

 

[eNate]

This question can only be answered with a question: how well are your connections sealed?

Each i3 leaves the assembly line with reasonably well sealed connections and battery assembly, we can assume.

But waterproofing gaskets and sealant don't last forever, after exposure to heat, vibration, oxygen, and humidity. So how good is any given connection after a year? After 4 years?

I'd say in theory an i3 can be immersed deep enough to flood the cabin and not affect the electronics that propel the car, if everything is perfect and new.

But the i3 you're driving today? Who knows. Stick with the generic 4 or 5 or 6 inch recommendation, or proceed at your own risk.

 

[MarkH]

Thanks Nate.
If we assume that the HV sealing (on a 5 year old car) is no longer reliable, do we know how high above ground level are the lowest HV connections.
I'd also be interested to learn: what are the immediate consequences of an HV connection being immersed in fresh water - for maybe 5 seconds (if the duration makes a difference (clearly if the consequence is an immediate BANG, then duration is not important)).

 

[Steve999]

I saw this, but I don't think I'd try it. I wonder if there were any problems afterward. The HV connector and vent on the battery pack would have me greatly concerned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP6JnPcaAzk

 

[eNate]

I saw this, but I don't think I'd try it. I wonder if there were any problems afterward. The HV connector and vent on the battery pack would have me greatly concerned.

"Comments are turned off for this video." Gosh, I wonder why.

You know that Renault isn't just some econobox stuck in the swamp, it's a Kangoo minivan.

 

[MarkH]

Wow! So, the water level was up to almost the bottom of the registration plate on the Kangoo.
That looks to be 400mm or so.

So... no BANG! - but yes I wonder if there were any longer term consequences.

Thanks for posting.

 

[frictioncircle]

Quite a lot of speculation in this thread...

I've not needed to take my i3s through deep water but if one's situation may require doing so, reading up on "fording depth" / "wading depth" will (hopefully) answer most questions.

 

[eNate]

Ah!

https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=35867#p35867

 

[MarkH]

After that post referring to the manual, I had a detailed search and found the quote (now linked by Nate) on page 150 of my manual.
No thanks to either the Table of Contents or the Index.

But that is good to hear from the horse's mouth. 25cm max - at no more than 5kph.

Thanks for the info and link.