Tesla Model 3 wades through flooded streets in 'Boat Mode'
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If the weatherman has predicted some heavy downpour in your area and you need to run an important errand, make sure you go out in a Tesla. Its "boat mode" is more likely to get you home than an internal combustion engine. That's what happened in China, where Tesla Model 3 moved through a road flooded to its front hood.
Tesla's boat mode
A major disclaimer first. None of the Tesla cars currently available have a "boat mode." Elon Musk has joked about it in the past, saying that an amphibious Cybertruck but nothing has come to fruition, at least for now.
Whether out of necessity or sheer bravado, car owners get a little too ambitious after heavy rain and try their luck in some of the deepest inundated roads known to man. The common result is a stuck car that is easily dismissed by passers-by, who now take it upon themselves to challenge the waters. Tesla owners are no different. However, surprisingly, they have been able to brave through the waters and come out dry on the other side while also being able to record these events like this driver in China.
If you missed it, there was another brave Tesla driver last week.
In case you are wondering why Tesla owners are so reckless with their cars, there is this Elon Musk tweet from 2016, which seems to have given wings to this idea.
Tesla deliveries began only in July 2017.
Water-tight Teslas
However, Musk isn't doing this to increase the number of vehicles lining up for in-house repairs. Rather, the car is designed to be able to wade through flooded waters. Considering that the car is all-electric and houses high-tech electronic devices, it would be silly if water could get inside and wreak havoc on the electronics.
At its Gigafactories, Tesla ensures that cars are tested for water-wading capacities. Having said that, there are limits to testing, and a car owner is probably not the best person to judge whether the inundated road resembles Tesla's test conditions.
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