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Lex
Member
I'm curious about lightning storms, eg. when plugged in at home, is there an instinct to run and unplug from the grid ?
Cyclone
Cyclonic Member ((.oO))
I did this before owning an EV, but the same logic applies. There are other things in the house that I cannot simply unplug in an electrical storm - dryer, oven, refrigerator, HVAC, etc. Because of this, I had a local electrical company install a whole-house surge protector for US$125. Peace of mind that it would sacrifice itself before my heat pump gets fried!
It's probably a liability thing.
Tesla can't be certain or responsible for the condition of a customer's charging equipment. Damaged wires, cracked casing, insulation, etc. However, they are most likely liable for any electrocution hazards relating to the supercharger system. And they will likely be performing regular inspections on such a system. So the water disclaimer might be relevant there. Perhaps they don't want it to be construed as a disclaimer.
I'm not a lawyer, though.
artsci
Sponsor
As I have a curbside charging station I'm always plugged in outdoors when I'm at home. I have no fear -- there have been times when everything is nearly swimming in water. My electrician said there is no risk of a shock if I don't do something stupid like stick my finger in the outlet
Electrocution isn't the worry, it's lightning hitting a power pole down the street and frying things. Although I have a whole house protector, I doubt it would stand up to a nearby lightning strike. It would stand up to a car hitting a power pole and causing a surge.
I was told by Tesla that the cars are pretty well protected from Lightning, although I suspect a direct strike would be unhealthy for the charging system. As for charging in the rain- like others have said, it's safe. as far as I can tell, current doesn't flow until the handshake completes. and the connectors are pretty well insulated. I also had the same thought as others, " thats a lot of current flowing through that cable and I'm reaching out to unplug it... hmm" I know it shuts the current down before it releases the handle, but it was scary the first time.
swaltner
Active Member
It wasn't with a Tesla EVSE, but I'm one such person...
PSA - Keep Those EV Power Cords Tidy
Before the insurance company wrote off a bunch of the hospital expenses, this was a $100,000 accident.
The OP was asking about Supercharging in the rain, and superchargers have no "outlet side" connection. They are hardwired, much as a HPWC is, thus the concern for either would be at the charge-port end. Hence my comments regarding the guidance from Tesla on such.
That having been said: I agree with you, I'd also share concern about handling any live outlet, especially a non-GFCI-protected one, in the rain... however that wasn't the premise of this thread.
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
I was referring to risk of electrocution when plugging in. The charge port end is not energized until the handshake, so there is no risk of electrocution if plugging into the car in the rain. But yes, you don't want the cable to slope downward toward the car in the outdoors (perhaps from a hanging UMC cable) because water will run down the cord and into the charge port.
I occurs to me that when I started this thread I left off part of the thing that got me thinking about electricity and water.
Several years ago I worked at the late, great Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake. We had a program there called the ZAP Show. Part of the program had me and other staffers standing bare foot on a water covered aluminum plate which was hooked to a power source which supplied over 2 million volts of electricity (at very, very low amperage). When the thing was energized mini bolts of "lightning" would shoot out of whatever body part was highest (usually fingers from hands held overhead though one guy would tip his head back and the bolts would shoot off his tongue).
The device supplying the power was (wait for it)... a *Tesla" coil.
Several years ago I worked at the late, great Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake. We had a program there called the ZAP Show. Part of the program had me and other staffers standing bare foot on a water covered aluminum plate which was hooked to a power source which supplied over 2 million volts of electricity (at very, very low amperage). When the thing was energized mini bolts of "lightning" would shoot out of whatever body part was highest (usually fingers from hands held overhead though one guy would tip his head back and the bolts would shoot off his tongue).
The device supplying the power was (wait for it)... a *Tesla" coil.
Cyclone
Cyclonic Member ((.oO))
The Faraday cage demonstration at the Boston Museum of Science is always fun:I occurs to me that when I started this thread I left off part of the thing that got me thinking about electricity and water.
Several years ago I worked at the late, great Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake. We had a program there called the ZAP Show. Part of the program had me and other staffers standing bare foot on a water covered aluminum plate which was hooked to a power source which supplied over 2 million volts of electricity (at very, very low amperage). When the thing was energized mini bolts of "lightning" would shoot out of whatever body part was highest (usually fingers from hands held overhead though one guy would tip his head back and the bolts would shoot off his tongue).
The device supplying the power was (wait for it)... a *Tesla" coil.
Speaking of which, how about an electric version of the 1812 Overture:
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