Whether you are driving a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle or an electric vehicle, the official advice is the same: if the floodwater is almost halfway up the tires, stop and find other routes. But what if you’re caught in a fast-rising floodwater and the only way is to move forward?
Such may have been the dilemma of the Porsche Taycan driver who was caught on video that went viral last week. A white Taycan that was filmed plowing through a flooded street in Dubai has set the Internet abuzz with appreciation on how well-made the German high-performance automaker’s first fully electric sports car is. Two clips of the Taycan’s almost impossible feat were posted by TikTok user zubair_khan44.
At the beginning of the 23-second first clip that garnered 2.1 million views, the Taycan can be seen nearly floating as it struggles to get traction from the flood that was already reaching the level of the Taycan’s door handles. This was followed by a 12-second clip that got 1.9 million views and showed how the same white Taycan continued to move forward, creating a spectacular bow wave that completely covered the hood.
This incident happened last April 17 when Dubai got an entire year’s worth of rain in a single day—the heaviest rainfall the city has seen in 75 years—causing floodwater to rise so quickly that roads turned into rivers while rushing water inundated homes, shopping centers and business establishments.
While viewers considered the decision of the Taycan driver as risky, praises were at the same time showered to Porsche’s engineers for creating an electric sports car that remained drivable despite being subjected to extreme conditions.
Considering that the Taycan’s battery pack is located underneath the sports car—to ensure a low center of gravity and thus sporty driving characteristics—viewers were impressed at how well sealed the underbody was as it prevented water from penetrating despite the prolonged exposure to floodwater.
While the Taycan was able to cross the flooded streets of Dubai, drivers should still be careful and not risk driving through rising floodwater. It always pays to be on the safe side.
