[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Last week I wrote and mentioned I have problems with both my vehicles > after a large lightning storm... What i'm wondering is besides not > having my EV plugged in is there anything else that I can do to > protect my EV and HEV from lightning? Or is this just a coincidence > after all and I have nothing to worry about? > > Of course the sad part is with the EVs and HEVs under the microscope > my wife casually mentioned what happened to one person at work and > most people at her work are now scared to ever drive an EV or HEV.
Earlier this summer, lightning hit a tree in the front yard of a neighbor's house about half a block away. It blew the bark right off the tree from top to bottom, leaving a burn about an inch wide. Their SUV was parked in the driveway, about 20 feet from the tree. Its emission control computer died at the same time. Insurance paid for it, so apparently they felt it was a likely enough cause and effect. My guess is that any car, regular, hybrid, or EV, could be affected by a direct hit or near miss from a lightning strike. If there is an actual wire running to the vehicle (like a charging cord or block heater), you've provided a path and the liklihood of damage is much higher. But even if the car is sitting there on its rubber tires, the gigantic current and fast rise times of a nearby lightning strike will induce similar currents and voltages in the car's wiring by transformer action. The sensitive circuits and computers in modern cars makes them easier to damage by these induced currents. -- Lee A. Hart Ring the bells that still can ring 814 8th Ave. N. Forget your perfect offering Sartell, MN 56377 USA There is a crack in everything leeahart_at_earthlink.net That's how the light gets in - Leonard Cohen
