Rodents!

[Albal]

Here’s an important suggestion. Put hardware cloth (metal screen) over the cabin air intake to keep rodents out of the cabin and the ductwork.

Most of the cars I’ve owned have this problem. Instead of screening off the intake properly they rely on that plastic piece at the base of the windshield, which never seems to work. Nowadays, the first thing I do when I get a car is epoxy a metal screen over the cabin air intake. It took me years to start doing this, but now there are no problems. If you want to be thorough, you can do the vents in the trunk too, where the air leaves. You just have to do a quick search for your favorite car brand and the word “mice” to see what a problem it is. And none of it would have happened if manufacturers had just spend a few cents to actually screen off the cabin air intake. I think this is especially important for a truck that is supposed to be spending its time outdoors!

On ICE cars there are some other spots as well, such as the engine air intake. If you don’t want mice nesting on your engine air filter, screen it off.

I imagine there will be additional spots on an EV as well, so review your design with mice in mind and snap on a metal screen over any opening that leads to to someplace you don’t want mice nesting. Perhaps something related to battery pack cooling? Who knows.

 

[Ecca]

Screening over nooks where rats like to hide here in DC also helps stop wiring harnesses from getting chewed up because when they live elsewhere, the vehicle is no longer the most convenient nearby thing to chew on.

Or so I've heard.

 

[TaconicBear]

Absolutely, rodent proof with steel screening. I live on the edge of the forest so we have them all (except the big city rats). I have had a chipmunk stand on a spring and chew a hole in the side of the fuel pipe between the fuel door and the tank in my Tundra. Other critters took all the insulation off the firewall and hauled it into the fuse boxes in our RAV4. In both some critters settled into the a/c ducts, ate holes in the cabin air filters, chewed up the plastic frames that hold the filters, etc. So don't leave it to us, just slap a piece of 1/4' hardware cloth over all the entrances, just like IH did on the Scout 80s & 800s. It is my understanding that many of the plastics and insulation materials are now plant based, and thus more appealing to rodent palettes, some effort made to evaluate that factor in selecting materials will go a long way, too.

 

[Trailguide79]

Rodents are attracted to some soy based plastics, and why some vehicles groups that have an abundance of cladding or wiring get this issue even on the outside.

I believe more modern plastics have less properties that make them tasty.

So hopefully…..the secret will be in the sauce….where the plastics are by design….not tasty to them.

 

[JohnnyScout]

Had rodents eat through wiring harness to ignition coils on a BMW. Replaced ecm, 6 coils, etc all covered by insurance. There are miles more wires in an EV I would presume. Insulating wiring with distasteful ingredients might help

 

[Albal]

Just had some mice enter my trunk, most likely through the cabin air exhaust ports all cars have back there. Those ports are usually flimsy vertically hanging flaps that rely on gravity to keep closed and open when in inside air pressure raises (like when you turn on your A/C) to let the air out. Enterprising mice can just pull the flaps open and enter your car. This is another spot that should have a metal mesh as part of the design to keep critters out.