A Tesla Model S was recently filmed wading through a flooded neighborhood effortlessly, much to the surprise of onlookers. Footage of the electric sedan’s feat was shared on Twitter over the weekend, where it was received warmly by the electric car community.
The brief video of the Tesla Model S was posted by Texas-based Richard Richter. Based on the footage, several vehicles were in the area, though other sedans remained parked on the side of the road. The only other vehicle that attempted to wade through the floodwaters was a truck pulling a trailer. A person watching the scene unfold even remarked that the electric car driver must have “lost his mind,” before getting surprised that the Model S didn’t have any issues going through the water.
The uploader of the video did not specify the exact location where the Model S’ flood encounter occurred, though Richter’s social media presence suggests that the electric car’s feat might have happened somewhere in Texas. Several areas of Texas are currently being affected by flooding, with the National Weather Service issuing warnings on Friday along a large swath of the Mississippi River, according to CBS News. Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, have also been issued flood warnings recently.
While it is never really advisable to drive through a flood on a vehicle with low ground clearance like a sedan, Tesla’s electric cars have actually shown some impressive resilience when faced with floodwaters on the road. Back in 2016, a Tesla Model S made news after it was filmed practically floating like a boat while passing through a tunnel in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Elon Musk commented on the account, stating that while Tesla “*def* don’t recommend this.” the “Model S floats well enough to turn it into a boat for short periods of time. Thrust via wheel rotation.” In another tweet, Musk explained that this is partly due to the Model S’ drive units and battery being sealed.
Elon Musk seems to have a soft spot for cars that do well in water. Back in 2013, Musk actually bought James Bond’s Lotus Esprit from the film The Spy Who Loved Me at an auction in London. After paying nearly a million dollars for the vehicle, which is famous in cinema for transforming into a submarine, Musk jokingly remarked that he was disappointed since the Lotus didn’t work as it did in the movie. Musk even joked that he will upgrade the vehicle with a Tesla powertrain to see if he can make it “transform for real.”
It’s not really known if Musk did such a thing, but James Bond’s transforming Lotus Elise did end up as one of Tesla’s Easter Eggs. That’s pretty close enough.
For now, here’s a Tesla Model S wading through some floodwaters.
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