Climate Change Is Resulting In More Flooding So BYD Creates The Climate Change EV

The BYD Yangwang U8 (clearly a brand that won’t work well internationally) is a unique vehicle in that it is an electric SUV that, in a pinch, can become amphibious (video here). Most submarines are electric (either diesel-electric or nuclear-electric), showcasing that electric-powered vehicles can operate in deep water for short periods of time. With Climate change, this could become a critical feature for future cars, given Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Tropical Storms, and the resulting flooding.

I expect this will become a more common feature going forward. While BYD isn’t yet selling into the US—they are a Chinese vendor—this will likely be a common future feature to look for if you live anywhere a flood is likely (and those places are becoming far more common of late).

How BYD Created A Climate Change-Safe Car

BYD sealed the car so that when the doors are closed, it will float and not sink into the water. If you are in a flood, you can then use the drive wheels to propel the vehicle slowly in the water, and that could be enough to drive out of a flood. This could also better protect the car itself in a flood, allowing it to survive a deep-water event that would total any other car, EV, gas, or hybrid.

This would also likely be ideal for towing a boat, given that you can deep-launch the boat without worrying as much about destroying your tow car or truck in the process. And, unlike most tow vehicles, if you accidentally back in too far, you can recover, whereas every other car would likely be a write-off.

Why Electric Instead Of Gas

You can prepare some gas offroad vehicles to drive in deep water, they generally don’t float as the Yangwang does, but if you can raise the air intake so your engine doesn’t suck up water, your car will be able to cross or get out of deep-water events.

The advantage of an electric car is its motor doesn’t require air, and it can be submerged for a limited period. In a gas car, the intake can suck up water which will hydrolock the engine, bricking the car. Electronics don’t like water, though, and if you’ve ever watched a video of someone trying to restore a Tesla or a Gas car, you’d realize that getting either running again is not trivial, which is why flood cars are typically totaled and sold at huge discounts.

But it is far easier to harden an electric car for water than a gas car because you can seal areas, like the engine bay, preventing water from getting in much like you might a boat.

Electric Cars Are Potentially Safer In Heavy Weather

Whether we are talking wind, water, or snow, EVs have another advantage: they are relatively heavy and have a shallow center of gravity. This makes it far safer to be driving in windy weather because it’ll be more challenging to lift and throw around. This makes it harder for them to hydroplane in water, and in snow, they can more easily find traction. Granted, both require the right kind of tires for this benefit to work, but in most lousy weather cases, an EV should be better than a gas car. It is far easier to generate electricity than to get oil and refine it into gas should the world go in the Mad Max direction, so as things worsen, EVs should strengthen.

Wrapping Up:

The BYD Yangwang U8 (love the car, hate the name) stands out as the only SUV EV that can become amphibious in an emergency. This feature not only makes the truck arguably the best vehicle in a world experiencing climate change but is also an indicator of things to come as the weather worsens and more and more people need that feature to get around.

Rob Enderle is a technology analyst at Torque News who covers automotive technology and battery development. You can learn more about Rob on Wikipedia and follow his articles on Forbes, X, and LinkedIn.