http://www.hybridcars.com/how-safe-are-teslas-supercharger-stations/ How Safe Are Tesla’s Supercharger Stations? by Sarah Shelton August 25, 2015
[image http://www.hybridcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SUPERCHARGER-668x409.jpg (SUPERCHARGER) ] Earlier this week, a private contractor was killed at a Tesla Supercharger just one day before the location’s grand opening, which may prompt some to wonder about the safety of these charging stations. Few details have been released on the incident, which occurred sometime Tuesday morning at the facility in Norfolk, Va. Reports indicate that Steven Weaver, 32, was at the Supercharger that morning working on equipment. About 3.5 hours after witnesses saw Weaver walking in and out of the fenced-in equipment area, someone called 911 to report the death. “During the installation process at our new Supercharger station in Norfolk, there was an accident involving an electrical contractor,” a Tesla representative told local news station WAVY.com. Officials have not elaborated if the contractor was electrocuted or confirmed any other details about the accident. “Due to an accident during the last stages of our Supercharger installation, we will be postponing our grand opening,” said Will Nicholas with Tesla. The carmaker hasn’t announced when the grand opening will be rescheduled for. We haven’t been able to find any other reports linking Superchargers with deaths or serious injuries of either contractors or people charging their cars. With many people using Superchargers across the country without incident, it doesn’t appear that there is an underlying safety hazard at these stations. All charging stations are required to meet national safety standards, and according to Tesla, Superchargers are even safe to use when it’s raining or snowing. That’s partially because electricity doesn’t flow through the cord until the car is ready. Once the Model S is plugged in, the car’s computer tells the Supercharger to “turn on” and supply the electricity. Despite its name, what drivers are actually using at a Supercharger station is a heavy-duty cord; the charger itself is mounted on the Model S. After plugging into the Supercharger, this cord supplies 120 kilowatts of direct current (DC) to the vehicle. The vehicle’s on-board charger converts the energy to alternating current (AC) and stores it in the lithium-ion battery pack. “Charging your electric or plug-in hybrid car is safe and easy,” AAA explained. Electrified vehicle (EV) “charging equipment is tested and certified by independent organizations such as Underwriters Laboratories, CSA International, and Edison Testing Laboratories. In addition, EV charging systems employ sophisticated computers and software that manage the charging process while protecting both the user and the vehicle.” [© hybridcars.com] http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Contractor-dies-Tesla-SuperEVSE-Janaf-Shop-Cntr-Norfolk-VA-tp4677214.html EVLN: Contractor dies @Tesla SuperEVSE Janaf-Shop-Cntr Norfolk-VA Aug 19 2015 ... http://wavy.com/2015/08/18/police-investigating-possible-electrocution-at-shopping-center/ Police investigate possible electrocution at JANAF Shopping Center August 18, 2015 For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-AAA-sez-Charging-your-plugin-is-safe-easy-tp4677328.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
