Saltwater submerged EV (Tesla) fires.

[Ric G]

I'm sure the recent EV fires in the Tampa Bay area are making the news after hurricane Helene submerged many coastal homes. So sad to see the devastation. We are very fortunate (lucky) since our home is on the Anclote River that backed up due to storm surge and only inches away from entering our garage. Not that I intend to drive through saltwater or park in deep water, but I'm wondering what has Rivian done to better seal our vehicles to prevent this from happening?

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[Riviot]

This is like the 3rd place I've seen this nonsense. If you're talking the Davis Island house fire, yes they had a Tesla, but that's wasn't the source of the fire. It was an electric cart.

 

[Ric G]

I'm aware of the Davis island house , there was another Tesla parked outside nearby that burned and there's a video from a garage cam of a Tesla and it was obvious that the fire started from the lower part of the car. I'm not saying that all EVs are just going to burst into flames but there seems to be some connection with the salt water and the fires. Salt water being conductive could be a factor maybe?? I know our cars are rated to be able to travel through 1 meter of water so there must be extra safety factors and sealing of the batteries.

 

[Zoidz]

You mean like this FB post that shows an EV fire - with 8 lug nuts, a rail frame, an ic engine, and a Ford F250 Super Duty bumper/grille?

 

[emoore]

I'm aware of the Davis island house , there was another Tesla parked outside nearby that burned and there's a video from a garage cam of a Tesla and it was obvious that the fire started from the lower part of the car. I'm not saying that all EVs are just going to burst into flames but there seems to be some connection with the salt water and the fires. Salt water being conductive could be a factor maybe?? I know our cars are rated to be able to travel through 1 meter of water so there must be extra safety factors and sealing of the batteries.

I do t think there is a difference in the Rivian battery pack vs Tesla for water protection. I doubt water caused the Tesla battery fire.

 

[Ric G]

Lol, not that truck. There was a local news reporter that walked past a Tesla. Part of the frunk was still intact and the frames of the headrests were Tesla for sure. Don't know if it made the rounds on FB yet.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I don't doubt there is a potential for salt water intrusion into a battery pack, depending on the design, but since Rivians can drive through water that comes well over the battery pack in depth, I'd be comfortable making an assumption it's a non-issue for us.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

You mean like this FB post that shows an EV fire - with 8 lug nuts, a rail frame, an ic engine, and a Ford F250 Super Duty bumper/grille?

I was a big fan of the turbo charger on the offending "EV"... Must have been a Porsche Taycan Turbo S with a tow package

 

[cohall]

I think you’re going to be ok...

 

[Dark-Fx]

I think you’re going to be ok...

Wonder how many connectors on the Rivians aren't completely sealed. Everything HV will be at least.

Edit: This Rivian was in floodwaters that weren't saltwater or brackish water.

 

[Ric G]

 

[Mathme]

Regardless if you're in the market for a used vehicle in the next few months, avoid anything with a Carfax that lists them from any of the devastated states -- this goes for BEV or ICE. Also if the Carfax isn't clear (as they sometimes try to hide where these cars come from) avoid it like the plague. The HV battery may be OK after being submerged, but there's a lot of other computer components that may work now, but be a ticking-used-car-time-bomb.

It's sad, but known out here in CA that some of these cars will be cleaned up and shipped out here enough that the local news is running "beware of the drowned used car" stories.

 

[Ebolamonkee]

I live in tampa, off westshore teo blocks from the bay. Salt water entered garage up to 3 feet. Wife’s SUV toasted, won’t start. Rivian boosted to highest mode during storm. Bottom carpets are completely soaked, still and smell like I’ve been chucking oysters. The trailer link in rear looks melted. I keep getting trailer warnings. But it drives. I fast charged with no problems. I have a service apt with Rivian on the 10th. Dont really know the damage until they raise it up and look at undercarriage.

 

[schlosrat]

Wonder how many connectors on the Rivians aren't completely sealed. Everything HV will be at least.

Edit: This Rivian was in floodwaters that weren't saltwater or brackish water.

To be clear, salt and fresh water are both highly conductive. The difference with salt water is that it's more corrosive. If you're worried about a short circuit leading to a fire, both are pretty much equally dangerous (or not if you're well sealed). The corrosion that salt water can give you is just terrible on conductors, but it's not going to make a vehicle short out faster in the short run. Wet is wet, and all water is conductive.

 

[godfodder0901]

To be clear, salt and fresh water are both highly conductive. The difference with salt water is that it's more corrosive. If you're worried about a short circuit leading to a fire, both are pretty much equally dangerous (or not if you're well sealed). The corrosion that salt water can give you is just terrible on conductors, but it's not going to make a vehicle short out faster in the short run. Wet is wet, and all water is conductive.

Sure, water is technically conductive (but so are rubber insulators) but pure water is a really good insulator.

Types of water	Conductivity Value
Pure distilled and Deionized water	0.05 µS/cm
Drinking water	200 to 800 µS/cm
Rain or Snow water	2 to 100 µS/cm

Seawater	50 mS/cm
Freshwater	100 to 2000 µS/cm

As you can see, saltwater is up to 500x more conductive that freshwater, and up to 100k more than pure water.

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