An electrified Land Cruiser has set a new world record for underwater driving

A group of Aussies have achieved the improbable by driving an electric car underwater. Not only that, they’ve set a world record in the process, piloting an electrified 1978 Toyota SWB Land Cruiser (or should that be Sea Cruiser?) 4.3 miles across Darwin Harbour.

The crew of mechanical engineers and divers was inspired by an attempt to do similar in 1983, where only the half-way mark was achieved using a 60m snorkel attached to a Land Cruiser. This time around the team spent six months building the car, electrifying it and coating the motor, controller and batteries in silicon oil to waterproof them. The bright orange amphibian was nicknamed ‘Mudcrab’ because why not.

They donned scuba equipment and drove across the sea bed reaching depths of up to 30 metres, using a boat as a support vehicle. (For what it’s worth, crocs and sharks swim in these waters, too.) It took almost 12 hours, with the team members taking turns to drive and at times, dig the Landcruiser out of the sand.

Reaching the other beach, they not only accomplished the distance intended, but set a world record for the longest and deepest underwater drive for an electric vehicle.

Speaking to Cosmos Magazine, engineer Glen Summers said: “I would not be interested in going about this in a more modern Land Cruiser. There is no body work, no panel work, no electrical or air bags to rip out – the amount of stuff we would have to remove (in a modern car). It [the 40 series Cruiser] is perfect for this. It doesn’t have to be registered and we don’t need any safety stuff, because we are driving really slowly … 1 to 3 kilometres an hour.”

While the general rule is to not mix water and electricity, clearly questions like ‘can I wash my EV?’ and ‘can you drive an EV in the rain?’ have been brutally rebuffed by this cohort of adventure enthusiasts. Good work, guys.

Photo: standard Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40