Photo: Chery. Press image for the Black Sea Safety Challenge in Romania.

Chery will open the European stage of its global safety demonstration programme in Romania. Between 22 and 24 September 2026, in Constanța, the battery of a Tiggo 9 plug-in hybrid will be submerged for 24 hours in a salt-water tank, then refitted in the car and checked in front of guests.

The event is called the Black Sea Safety Challenge and is meant to show how the pack’s casing and protection systems react to prolonged exposure to water. The announced attendance is for specialists and the international press; the release does not present the event as a public demonstration.

How the Constanța demonstration will be run

The high-voltage battery will be removed from a Tiggo 9 CSH and placed in a controlled environment with a salinity level close to that of the Black Sea. The pack will remain underwater for 24 hours.

After immersion, Chery technicians will inspect the pack for signs of ingress and damage. It will be installed in the car again, and the team will attempt to start the vehicle and carry out functional checks of the hybrid system.

The manufacturer has not published results yet, because the test has still to take place. Claims about the battery working after immersion should be judged after the demonstration ends and the measured parameters are presented.

This is a manufacturer demonstration, not a Euro NCAP test

The Black Sea Safety Challenge is designed and organised by Chery. It does not replace type-approval tests or independent Euro NCAP assessments, which use public protocols, designated laboratories and criteria that can be compared between cars.

A successful result can provide information about the pack’s sealing and electrical protection under the organiser’s conditions. On its own, it does not prove how the car would behave in any flood, crash or contact with seawater. Depth, temperature, exposure time, prior damage to the casing and the test procedure can all change the outcome.

For owners, the safety rule is unchanged: an electrified car that has been flooded, or whose battery has taken an impact, must be isolated and checked by authorised staff. Passing a controlled demonstration does not justify starting a water-damaged car without a technical inspection.

Romania hosts the programme’s European premiere

Chery has previously run similar demonstrations in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The manufacturer says Chery Super Hybrid technology has gone through validation activities in 44 countries.

In June 2025, in Jakarta, a Tiggo 8 CSH battery was held in salt water for 53 hours and 51 minutes. Chery reported that the pack showed no leaks, short circuits or thermal runaway and that it worked after being reinstalled in the car.

Other stages have included controlled contact between the battery and obstacles under the car in Mexico, high-temperature checks in the Middle East and puncture tests in Latin America. At Chery’s international summit in April 2026, the company also staged a compound collision with three vehicles, using a Tiggo 9 struck from the front and the rear.

The Constanța event moves this format to Europe, but uses a trial chosen specifically for the Black Sea location. The organiser estimates attendance by journalists from 16 European countries, together with technical specialists and company representatives.

What the Chery Tiggo 9 CSH is

The Tiggo 9 CSH is the flagship SUV in Chery’s range sold in Romania. The CSH abbreviation stands for the Chery Super Hybrid system: plug-in hybrid propulsion that combines a petrol engine with electric motors and a battery that can be charged from a socket.

In a PHEV the battery is smaller than in a fully electric car, but it still operates at high voltage and needs mechanical protection, insulation and thermal management. The casing has to limit water ingress and protect the cells if the underside of the car is struck.

On the Romanian market, the Tiggo 9 already appears on the list of models accepted by Chery’s official network for service bookings. Full details of the version used in the test and the final technical protocol will have to be communicated at the event.

What to watch after the test

For the demonstration to be assessed properly, more information is needed than simply whether the car starts:

  • insulation voltage measured before and after submersion;
  • the presence of water or corrosion inside the casing;
  • errors appearing in the battery management system;
  • cell temperature during the trial;
  • capacity and power available after reinstallation;
  • later inspection of the pack, not only immediate operation.

Chery says results will be announced at the end of the event on 24 September. Until then, the Black Sea Safety Challenge should be treated as a scheduled demonstration, not as a test the Tiggo 9 has already passed.

Sources: Chery Romania – official information on CSH battery safety, Chery International – previous immersion test in Indonesia, Hrot24/ČTK – European announcement of the Black Sea Safety Challenge, Chery Romania – network and models served on the local market