Ebikes have been designed to deal with a bit of water. Rain and splashes from puddles are part and parcel of general riding. But when you are out on the mountains the elements can be more demanding. Your ability to seek shelter from torrential rain can be compromised and rivers may provide formidable barriers. But don’t despair, if your bike gets drenched all may not be lost.
Most motors and batteries have an ingress protection water rating. This International Protection Rating measures the ability of water and dust to get into a product. It specifically classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of water and dust into electrical enclosures, like batteries. There is no need to rely on vague marketing terms such as waterproof. Check out the international standard IEC 60529 for more detailed information.
Motor units such as Shimano STEPS E8000, BOSCH Performance Line CX and the Brose Drive S Mag all have an IP56 rating.
The first number denotes the level of protection from particles, so the number 5 means that it is dust protected. The second number, in this case 6, relates to the level of protection from water. These motors are protected against water being projected in powerful jets with a12.5 millimeter nozzle against the enclosure from any direction with no harmful effects.
Batteries, such as the ones the Specialized Levo Ebike uses, have an even higher rating of IP67. This means that they are dust tight and are able to deal with full immersion for up to 30 minutes at a depth between 15 centimeters and 1 meter.
If you do get the bike saturated with water simply get your bike out of the water as quickly as possible. Remove as much water with a cloth that you can and let it dry. Then flick the switch to ON and hope. I ride most fords and deal with some level of submerged motor or battery. On the couple of occasions I have totally immersed my bike in water it has proven to be resilient and up to the task.
Having said all this, it’s best to keep as dry as you can and not to get things wet.