Driving in a flood

Uh....yeah.
You really shouldn't be fording 1' of water in ANY car.

Some Prius geek out there has the gezact answer and will swiftly correct me, but I'm thinking that the ground clearance for this puppy is about 5". You can probably ford a body of water a little deeper than that, but if you're at speed you're going to start generating a bow wave, and then you and the other person who shouldn't be there (in the other lane) are going to be swapping fluids.
All of this is if the water is static.
The trouble is......water usually isn't.
It's usually trying to get back to where it was before it wound up on the road, and like Nemo learned....all drains lead to the ocean.
That's why so many idiots get to meet fire and rescue folks...or more tragically.....they don't get to meet anyone ever again.
If you see a foot of water on the road and it's just kind of hanging out?
You'll probably be OK.
Maybe.
The trouble is...if it's dark...or if you can't see how deep the water is...or if the water is moving...you can go very quickly from OK to really REALLY not OK, and then it's time to buy a new car....or it's time for your PNOK (primary next of kin) to pick out something nice for the funeral.

Good Luck!

 

I guess if you go deep enough the place where the primary high voltage terminals connect to the transmission would be the first place to short-out... and I'm also assuming once your HV battery ends up underwater it'll short out too? Curious to know what someone more knowledgeable about flood damage risks to a Prius are?

 

IMO, the Prius is no different from any other car, however with all of the electrical stuff added you are asking for trouble if you have to drive in a flood. Since some of the electronics (ECU's, traction battery and a host of other things are mounted on the floor under the seats it seems logical that you would definitely not want any moisture to enter the cabin. Since the Prius is very low to the ground to begin with, it would make sense to steer clear of any flood water if and when possible. Being in the "gulf coast" area, I can understand that what I said is not practical, but it is logical. It doesn't take much to total a car when it is flooded, and with all the electronics in the Prius, IMO it would be quite easy to damage it by flood water versus a standard car of today.

I remember all too well the night Tropical Storm Allison came through Houston the second time around. It dropped 30 inches of rain in eight hours of time. I was not fortunate when I tried to go home after my shift at the plant. It was late at night. I got less than 2 miles from where I worked, and went no further. As soon as the water started coming inside, it was all over with. I was in a 1990 Nissan Frontier SE V6 P/U Truck which sits pretty high off of the ground. Of course I had no idea how deep the water was. When I got out after the truck flooded and stalled, I discovered the water was up to my waist. I stand 5'10", so that should give you an idea of just how deep it really was.

Long story short, the water never reached the dash. But it did short out the computer's that were mounted on the floor. Those computer's controlled the ICE and the transmission. Those two items took the cost to repair over the amount for a total loss. The Prius has even more stuff mounted on the floor than my Nissan had. I think that pretty much says it all.

If you see water, turn around. Go another way. If you choose to continue on, your choices may be for the good or the bad. As said above, it may be time to buy a new car....or it's time for your PNOK (primary next of kin) to pick out something nice for the funeral.

Good luck to you and I hope this info helps you and other's.

Ron

 

Ouch!

Yep, the above is a big problem.

OT, not a Prius, but

shows them driving a Leaf thru 300 mm of water (11.81 inches), amongst other things.

 

Yuu'd think they'd put a don't try this at home disclaimer on this video? Crazy!

 

^^^
I can't see it well, but I believe Kadota-san (Leaf's Chief Vehicle Engineer) might be the guy behind the wheel in Paris.

Katota-san himself showed some snippets from the above video when he was at the Google-plex a year ago. He also showed some crash test footage, IIRC including some looking up from underneath the car during the crash, showing how the battery pack was still pretty much undamaged.