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Just did a conversation with the AI on the problem surrounding EVs and imminent flooding like would happen in Florida or anywhere on the gulf or east coasts. It is valuable as a backgrounded on possible solutions: https://chatgpt.com/share/6779d496-ae94 ... 4c8bc8db89

I'll read it again and comment ... and I need to do this that way because if I were to go back and forth with a source material, I'm logged off here automatically and lose whatever I've written. Happened with a very long post ... and some shorter ones.

In 2024, Carfax reported nearly 350,000 cars were damaged by flooding from hurricanes. The vast majority of these vehicles were ICE powered and typically, a vehicle is ruined if it is flooded as issues ranging from engine and transmission problems to electrical issues plague these vehicles.

Electric vehicles gained distinction in this past year's hurricanes as several flooded EVs literally self-immolated as the intrusion of salt water into a battery typically results in a massive short and fire. Of course EV manufacturers take serious preventative measures to keep the battery protected from liquid water, the reality is that for reasons of wear and tear, a certain percentage of EVs will fail and burn if submerged.

What happens in five years when instead of EVs making up 5-7% of all vehicles (and being more expensive, more likely to be evacuated), fully half of those vehicles are EVs Are we talking a rash of fires?

And you have to know if half the vehicles being evacuated from Florida you got to know that migration will require additional emergency charging.

So what is the status of vehicle fast charging from mobile charging tools. Looks like another area for research.

I can't contribute much to this particular topic, as I've never lived in Florida and have never owned an EV before (the Aptera will hopefully be my first). However, I've lived in Mississippi most of my life, and was living in nearby Tuscaloosa, AL when Katrina hit, so I'm not entirely unfamiliar with hurricane preparations and having to deal with the aftermath.

For starters, folks who live near the gulf coast don't just wake up one day and find out there's a hurricane twenty miles away. Those things are tracked for days prior to landfall, and while their paths are rarely predicted with a great deal of precision, people usually have plenty of time to get the heck out of dodge before conditions get too bad, assuming they have enough sense to do so. Therefore, EV damage should be as avoidable as the hurricane itself.

I would think that the best way to prepare would be to park the EV two or three floors up in a multi-level above-ground parking garage, and then evacuate in an ICE vehicle, if possible. That way, the EV *should* be safe from flood waters, and you wouldn't have to contend with inadequate and/or overwhelmed charging infrastructure on the way out of the affected area. If there's no nearby above-ground parking garage, find an elevated spot (high ground that's unlikely to flood) to park the EV and hope that it doesn't sustain wind/debris damage. If the EV is your only vehicle, or an ICE "getaway" vehicle isn't an option, then I imagine getting out early would be critical, in order to avoid getting stuck somewhere waiting in line to charge with dangerous weather conditions on the horizon. Or worse - being unable to charge at all and finding yourself stranded.

William-Hester wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2025 9:32 pm ... If the EV is your only vehicle, or an ICE "getaway" vehicle isn't an option, then I imagine getting out early would be critical, in order to avoid getting stuck somewhere waiting in line to charge with dangerous weather conditions on the horizon. Or worse - being unable to charge at all and finding yourself stranded.

Well, first off, if your first EV is an Aptera; you're covered. It is really true what Chris said; If you're in the zombie apocalypse, there is no grid or gasoline, the Aptera is gold. In that darker future, you may find a few ethanol stills but you're going to have to fight neighbors for the swill to drive on as they might prefer to drown their troubles more than fuel your ICE jalopy ...But with the Aptera; you're good to go about 10,000 miles a year.

Still, your answer shows that there has been little public thought about 'what to do.

Your idea of key high-ground parking is an good thought but a stopgap. In that context, I suppose someone could invent 'bodybags for cars that you drive into, zip up and seal with a little ambient air pressure but able to keep a vehicle 'dry' even if submerged for a day. That kind of thing requires advance planning and can be quite effective at mitigating specific threats but still would be limited to deployment in protected areas like your elevated parking deck. Why? An air filled plastic bag would be highly vulnerable to flying debris and, unprotected, would be ripped to shreds by debris flying by at 150mph.

Not to 'slight authorities, I did a quick AI chat on the subject of existing guidance to EV owners in regard to Hurricanes. https://chatgpt.com/share/677c2308-a9a0 ... 10677bae9b