Tesla Motors founder and CEO Elon Musk is a maverick entrepreneur who is notoriously famous for saying bold claims. For most people, electric cars are easily dismissed for being prone flood-related damaged compared to gasoline-fueled vehicles. But it turns out that the Tesla Model S has an interesting and undisclosed car feature which makes it float like a boat for a short period of time according to Musk.
Recently, a video was making rounds online showing a man braving his Tesla Model S car through a flooded tunnel in Almaty, Kazakhstan past other helpless cars that were unable to move.
Musk then confirmed in his Twitter post that the car is technologically capable of floating like a power boat saying, "We *def* don't recommended this, but Model S floats well enough to turn it into a boat for short periods of time. Thrust via wheel rotation."
According to a report by ARS Technica, the Model S is more watertight than most conventional gasoline-driven cars due to a lack of tailpipe. Additionally, the car's "biohazard mode" also makes the cabin well-sealed as it locks down the ventilation system.
But some tech observers warned Model S owners not to submerge their electric cars too long especially if it's avoidable. While the battery and other electric components are tightly sealed, there might be some other complications that may arise from submerging the car too long.
"You simply don't want the entire undercarriage of your vehicle to be submerged regardless of if it consists of a large battery pack or an exhaust line. In the case of the Model S, the battery pack is sealed, but there are still plenty of complications from submerging the vehicle," wrote Fred Lambert of Electrek. Lambert added that most car warranties or insurance, if not all, would think twice about covering flood-related damage.
But electric car enthusiasts who are hoping for a Tesla car upgrade in the future with submarine-like features, there might be hope. Musk also tweeted that Tesla is working on a "sports sub car" as a side project for now due to a "limited market potential," BGR reported.
