Anyone who has ever driven through floodwaters understands how terrifying the situation can be. Those of us who have driven a traditional vehicle across a flooded road will recall how difficult it was to maintain throttle balance in second gear while avoiding water entering the exhaust pipe. For those that have driven earlier, automatic cars may recall how careful they must be to prevent putting water on the electronic box.

Wrong decisions when going to wade thru the water may cause a car to stall. And in a flood, stalling means trouble. There’s a lot of difficulties.

Vehicles stuck in the midst of flooded streets have been seen in China following recent rainfall. Such spectacles are not unusual in the nation, or in any other Asian country for that matter. Cars stopped due to flooding are not uncommon in areas that are hit by dozens of storms or typhoons each year. What’s new is witnessing a new breed of cars capable of navigating treacherous seas without stalling.

What’s even more incredible is that they aren’t big, customized SUVs with snorkels and all-terrain tires. They’re sleek Tesla Model 3 cars, low to the earth, loaded with technology, and proudly electric.

In light of their amazing ability to wade through water and Elon Musk’s prior Twitter statements, some social media users have dubbed Teslas’ capacity to manage flooded roadways “Boat Mode.”

Over the last several days, footage of Tesla Model 3s in “Boat Mode” has received a lot of attention on social media sites. The footage of the all-electric vehicle generally showed the MIC Model 3 overcoming the country’s floods while other vehicles were stuck. A video from China’s Henan region shows a Model 3 presumably running full speed in thick floods.

The short video was remarkable, especially because the car appeared to be extremely cool as it aggressively fought the flooded roadway. Later reporting on the tragedy revealed the clip’s horrific history. According to local sources, the Model 3 in the video was exiting a flooded tunnel where other vehicles were already stranded. This indicated that the driver was most likely terrified and pushed the Model 3 through the water.

Other footage of Tesla’s unofficial “Boat Mode” in operation showed a Made-in-China Model 3 effortlessly navigating a flooded roadway. The footage was also brief, but it demonstrated that the all-electric sedan performed admirably as it passed automobiles in the middle of a flood. Another video, allegedly showing the all-electric vehicle fording over badly flooded streets in Zheng Zhou City, was even more stunning.

Tesla China’s Model 3s are constructed with water wading capabilities in mind, as they are produced in a nation that often sees floods. This is demonstrated in the Gigafactory Shanghai flooded road simulator, which is utilized on both the Model 3 and the Model Y.

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