Absolutely, You Have the Ability to ‘Repair’ a Submerged Electric Vehicle by Enveloping It in Rice

One individual who took on this challenge is Rich Benoit, recognized by his alias Rich Rebuilds on YouTube. This online personality has established a reputation for himself by replacing internal combustion engines in Teslas and advocating for the right to conduct repairs. Recently, Rich acquired an Audi E-Tron that had been impacted by a hurricane-induced flood and is endeavoring to refurbish it to a functional state, with the initial step involving the use of 4,200 pounds of rice.

Rich recently procured the Audi from a Copart auction where it was labeled as inoperable, signifying that it does not “operate” (at least to the extent a battery-driven vehicle can) or move. Modules exposed to saltwater tend to malfunction in such situations.

With just under 2,600 miles on the odometer when it was deemed a complete loss, this $110,000 car was quite a bargain, considering that the final auction price reportedly hovered around $56,000. However, a quick inspection of the vehicle reveals the reason behind its low price: visible water marks are present on the upholstery and even on the windows. These are clear indicators of flood damage.

After transporting the Audi to his garage and dedicating hours to manually accessing the front trunk, Rich and his team managed to jumpstart the vehicle using a 12-volt booster pack. A multitude of faults related to the high-voltage battery and cooling systems were discovered, coupled with additional malfunctions across various CAN gateways, including ABS, HVAC, central electric, brake booster, chassis control, telematics, the high-voltage battery, driver assist systems, and more. In summary: the car is severely damaged.

Could it be possible that the vehicle was still damp and could simply be dried out? This was the prevailing hypothesis, and considering the exorbitant costs associated with replacing several components, it didn’t seem like a bad notion after all. Rich contemplated utilizing silica gel for this purpose, but it turned out to be too costly. Rice appeared to be a more affordable alternative.

Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained was approached to provide an explanation on why this course of action might—or might not—be a good idea. Ultimately, he recommended that Rich opt for a dehumidifier instead. However, where’s the fun in that? Consequently, Rich chose to construct a massive framework capable of accommodating approximately 4,200 pounds of stale rice to aid in the drying process.

Presently, rice practically will soak up dampness, unless obviously it is already soaked. Nevertheless, it will also absorb liquid from the atmosphere, which suggests that the Audi had to be enclosed. Consequently, the crew enveloped the car in a tarp, poured in the rice, and allowed the electric behemoth to rest for several days while they hoped for the best.

Rich and his group then removed the car cover and vacuumed out the rice. To everyone’s amazement, the car not only turned on but also started to move under its own power, albeit with “every [fault] code known to man” displayed on the dashboard. Nonetheless, that’s progress, isn’t it?

Presently, it’s all but unimaginable to confirm if the rice genuinely assisted in this situation, particularly since salty water has a tendency to corrode electronics almost immediately upon contact with circuitry. However, there is still a considerable amount of work to be carried out for the E-Tron to be in near-pristine condition. Rich’s illustration should underscore the reason why purchasing a flood-damaged car is never advisable, let alone a flood-damaged EV.

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