Slate Truck vs. Extreme Cold, Snow, Ice (Testing by Engineers) - Documentary Video

[Sojourner]

Houghton, Michigan is a BEAUTIFUL little city/town.

Been there once or twice and loved everything about it. Even though a different place in the UP was our preferred location, we almost bought a house just south of Houghton, it was so nice. Sadly, the foundation had a big and problematic structural problem.... 😔

 

[E90400K]

That was a good video. Longer than 8 seconds. Slush test, the battery must go WTF!

 

[ScooterAsheville]

IIRC, battery packs are generally positively pressurized just a tiny bit to help prevent water intrusion. They also have one way poppet valves to drain any water intrusion.

I won't swear to that, but I remember watching a video way back that went into batteries underwater. Might have only been that one pack though. I want to say it was Tesla, but not sure.

 

[AZFox]

AudoWeek published an article about about the slush test and more.

Good publicity. 👍

Slate Truck Passes Slush Test, On Track for Q4 Debut
Bare-bones model is still supposed to be in 'mid-$20,000' range.

 

[NMNeil]

Show me the axle hop test, Slate. Run the truck around a washboard cuve at 40 MPH, and show me that the rear end remains planted.

Or any road here in New Mexico where I honestly think the Air Force uses them for bombing practice.

 

[E90400K]

IIRC, battery packs are generally positively pressurized just a tiny bit to help prevent water intrusion. They also have one way poppet valves to drain any water intrusion.

I won't swear to that, but I remember watching a video way back that went into batteries underwater. Might have only been that one pack though. I want to say it was Tesla, but not sure.

You are remembering the Cybertruck's "fording mode" where the battery case is pressurized to prevent water intrusion.

My comment about the slush test was more along the lines of a rapid change in temperature of the battery by driving into an ice bath.

But the real concern is how well the connectors are sealed to prevent winter road salt corrosion after years of winter driving on treated roads.

 

[KevinRS]

I think most of the point of the slush test was, and they did it repeatedly at different temperatures: they drove through the freezing slush pit, and immediately into a freezer container, so the slush freezes onto the truck, and in between components. This simulates some real world conditions, drive around in snow, park overnight. With some vehicles not designed for icy weather, this results in things like the brakes being locked into place by ice.