The tragedy of 2011, when the earthquake and tsunami not only caused the release of radioactive substances at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, but also brought significant damage to infrastructure, forced Japanese engineers to think more often about protection from such situations. As a result, a compact electric car was created, which is able not only to overcome fords, but also to swim.

Image Source: Nikkei Asian Review

The main part of serial electric vehicles has a typical layout, when the traction battery unit is located under the floor of the passenger compartment. Some manufacturers are trying to integrate it into the frame for greater rigidity, but the electronics itself remains quite vulnerable to both mechanical stress and immersion in water. However, the Jaguar brand, for example, managed to teach its electric crossover I-Pace to overcome a ford half a meter deep, but this possibility was originally included in the technical task.

According to Nikkei Asian Review, a young Japanese company Fomm, which has been producing and selling compact electric vehicles for urban use in Thailand since 2019, is going to introduce a modified version of the vehicle to the Japanese market, which will not only be able to overcome fords, but also move on water, while maintaining buoyancy. The overall dimensions of the vehicle do not exceed 2,6 meters in length and 1,3 meters in width, while the cabin can accommodate four people. The maximum speed of the electric vehicle reaches 80 km / h, the traction battery charge is enough for 166 km of run.

With a price tag of about $ 25, such an electric vehicle is an attractive purchase for car-sharing services. Fomm plans to sell 000 One cars in Japan this year. They are able to move on flooded roads, and when the wheel loses contact with the hard surface, due to the special shape of the wheel disks, they allow you to move on water and change direction.

Since April 2019, Fomm has managed to sell 400 electric vehicles in Thailand that cannot swim in the local specification. The company plans to increase production volumes up to 5000 cars annually, one fifth of which will be exported to Japan. The company was founded in 2013 by Toyota Motor native Hideo Tsurumaki, who originally wanted to create an electric amphibious vehicle in the aftermath of the disastrous 2011 flood.