The Tesla Model S Plaid is the fastest production car ever made. On land, it can accelerate from 0–60 mph in less than 2 seconds. But what about underwater? This idea was brought to Gruber Motor Company by a Tesla customer who showed up with a brand new Tesla Model S Plaid with a very special request: make it waterproof. As in, submarine-level waterproof.
The video above is the journey of Gruber Motor Company as the company prepared the vehicle for complete submersion in a manmade pond in Arizona. This included waterproofing external connectors, intake ports, and any other possible areas of water ingress. The Tesla Model S Plaid would then go for a 90-foot-long drive under 7 inches of freshwater with fish, loaded with 2,000 pounds of lead for ballast, and of course, a driver with proper scuba equipment in the cabin — just in case. Such a feat had never been attempted before, as far as we know.
Pete Gruber, the owner of Gruber Motor Company, explained, “The goal today is to take a Tesla Model S Plaid and prove that these cars are waterproof to the extent that it can be turned into a submarine and drive through this 90-foot trough about six feed deep all the way through and come out this side here.”
He pointed to the other side and added that the car has been properly prepared and waterproofed as much as possible.
“Connectors have been sealed. Certain gaps have been closed. And what we’re hoping, of course, is that the drive will be able to go all the way through this trough completely submerged at certain points and come out the other end intact and continue to drive his Tesla Model S Plaid.”
The Hidden Valley Fire and Rescue team was also there with snorkeling gear just in case things turned south. There was also a front loader filled with rice which would act as a desiccant and remove some of the water out of the car. There was also a boat in case a rescue operation was needed, and there were other support and safety teams standing by.
I won’t tell you how the test went, but I’ll say that it didn’t go as planned. For the details, watch the video, and just skip to the end if you want to see how things turned out.
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