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Model S/Lightning/power surge?insurance?

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Please excuse if this has been answered before; I tried to do a search but didn't find the answer.

What happens to Model S if there is a power surge in my house? I have three very uneducated guesses:

1) Model S elegance has built in power surge protection of some sort like a fuse or like those multi-outlet power strips for your HDTV.
2) A Supercharged car.
3) A fried electric car.

If the answer is 2 above, what is the next step? Would car insurance cover this?

Thanks for any input.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've not heard of any Roadsters being fried by power surges. My Roadster has been plugged in through thunderstorms and power outages with no ill effects.

Thanks but the thunderstorms (and summer heat) in Texas are just ridiculous. At least I'd like to know what insurance would this be covered under...Homeowners hazard insurance or car insurance, etc.
 
If the surge is sufficient (approx 1.21 gW), and you can time it with hitting 88 mph (perfectly doable in a Model S), you'll go back in time. Need to be careful with that. Fortunately, Tesla engineers accounted for this problem, which is why you can't drive and charge at the same time.
 
If there is a power surge in your house, use the Model S frunk to transport the smoldering remains of your TV, stereo, microwave, AC, frigde, etc. to the next landfill. Do so to keep the fumes and smoke out of the cabin. :rolleyes:
 
A bad power surge in my house would likely damage the UPS but not the TV, computer, or other electronics. The microwave, fridge, and HVAC are on their own.

So the question is: Do you unplug the Telsa during a thunderstorm?
 
I suspect none of you have ever had your house hit by lightning. With a near-direct hit, nearly every piece of electronics in the house is destroyed, surge protector or not. When it happened to me, regardless of switch state, every light in my house lit up, many bulbs popped their filaments, and the smell throughout the house was just horrible. I have had to send the smoldering remains of my electronics to the landfill, and homeowner's insurance covered their replacement.

That said, you should probably ask the question of your insurance company. My homeowner's insurance by default covers contents of the house at 10% of its value without additional options or riders. I presume comprehensive auto insurance would cover it first, just as if the car were struck by lightning on an open highway, but it's safe to check and make sure.
 
Not sure what would happen. But I know I would invest in a whole home surge protector. Incredibly cheep considering the cost of the model S.

Unfortunately, that won't help with a lightning strike. It may help if some person runs their car into a power pole a few blocks away.

Also these devices typically turn sine waves into square waves. Your computer won't thank you for that.
 
Unfortunately, that won't help with a lightning strike. It may help if some person runs their car into a power pole a few blocks away.

Also these devices typically turn sine waves into square waves. Your computer won't thank you for that.

Hi Jerry,

So are you recommending against whole house surge protection as an added measure of protection?

Thanks.

Larry
 
So are you recommending against whole house surge protection as an added measure of protection?

No, I'm saying there are limitations to them (particularly the cheap ones). As long as you are aware of the limitations of your particular whole house surge protection and act accordingly, they are fine. I have one on my house, but the electronics are powered by a 6 KVA UPS so the square wave problem doesn't affect me.

It's probably best to unplug any EV during a thunderstorm.
 
No, I'm saying there are limitations to them (particularly the cheap ones). As long as you are aware of the limitations of your particular whole house surge protection and act accordingly, they are fine. I have one on my house, but the electronics are powered by a 6 KVA UPS so the square wave problem doesn't affect me.

It's probably best to unplug any EV during a thunderstorm.

Thanks.

Whats a 6 KVA UPS roughly go for including installation?

Larry
 
Whats a 6 KVA UPS roughly go for including installation?

I purchased mine several years ago (long enough to have replaced the six battery modules) but as I recall, it was $6,000 and about $500 for the wiring plus running wire to the wall sockets (so I have a number of UPS wall sockets and some that aren't).

UPS is here but Powerware was a separate brand when I purchased mine.

It appears this is the closest one to the one I have.

When it comes time to replace the batteries, you can save about 50% of the price by just purchasing the batteries and inserting them in the battery module. It's pretty easy to do (even I can do it).
 
The only way to deal with lightning is to have lightning rods. (Or, do what I do, and have 100' trees surrounding the house.) This is by far the cheapest way of avoiding damage to your electronics from lightning; as Jerry points out, even very good whole-house systems will be totally overwhelmed by a direct lightning hit (and your physical structure can be blow apart, too).
 
Our power surges and drops out all the time! (in Texas suburbs)
Our Volt has never had a problem. With or without whole home surge protector. It does beep when the power comes back and charging resumes.
 
It would be nice to have some kind of power surge protector that fits in between my NEMA 14-15 and the HPWC or the mobile connector. Maybe it wouldn't work against a direct lightening strike, but perhaps it could fend off some other kind less severe damage. I would be happy just knowing which insurance company should I call if I find my car fried - homeowners insurance or car insurance?