Lightning strike on house during charging

[Stephen Munro]

I was thinking the same.

If that doesn’t work, schedule an appointment with your dealership to diagnose BEFORE the car runs out of charge.


One note- this isn’t a warranty claim, this would be an INSURANCE claim. No different than if you get into an accident.

Your Ford warranty doesn’t cover lightning strikes.

An insurance claim for lightening would most likely be covered under the policy's "comprehensive" terms.

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[Mach1E]

An insurance claim for lightening would most likely be covered under the policy's "comprehensive" terms.

Yes that is correct. Didn’t mean to imply it would be on the collision side. Just was pointing out to go the insurance route not the warranty route.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

In early 2000s, my sister and parents were in an open suburban parking lot in Troy, Michigan. She was just about to exit the parking lot onto the main road when lightening struck her brand new Chevy Trailblazer SUV. They didn't feel, smell, or see anything. The car stalled and started making ticking noise. Next thing you know, people were running towards them from the stores checking on them and letting them know they just got hit by lightening. The car's electrical system and many modules were fried. Several thousand dollars in damage that got covered by insurance.

I can't fathom the damage a strike like this would do to an EV.

 

[Space_Pony]

In early 2000s, my sister and parents were in an open suburban parking lot in Troy, Michigan. She was just about to exit the parking lot onto the main road when lightening struck her brand new Chevy Trailblazer SUV. They didn't feel, smell, or see anything. The car stalled and started making ticking noise. Next thing you know, people were running towards them from the stores checking on them and letting them know they just got hit by lightening. The car's electrical system and many modules were fried. Several thousand dollars in damage that got covered by insurance.

I can't fathom the damage a strike like this would do to an EV.

I remember being told that you were safer inside your vehicle during a thunderstorm because the vehicle is not grounded due to rubber tires and would not attract lightning. I guess that isn't true.

 

[PedroDaGr8]

I remember being told that you were safer inside your vehicle during a thunderstorm because the vehicle is not grounded due to rubber tires and would not attract lightning. I guess that isn't true.

The lightning travelled through thousands of feet of air. It has no problem bypassing the tires and arcing right to ground. The safety is because you are functionally surrounded by a faraday cage (the metal skin, body, wiring, etc. of the car) which redirects the lightning safely around you to the ground.

 

[CHeil402]

If you're in a pinch with remaining range before getting this fixed, you should also try a DC fast charge since it charges differently than L1/L2 charging which uses the car's onboard rectifier to charge the battery whereas that is off-board for DC fast charging. If it was the onboard rectifier that got fried in the storm then in theory the DC fast charger would still work.

 

[McQueen]

Did the whole house surge protector for a lot of reasons, including 2 EV's charging here. It’s code in a lot of areas. Also, recently a Mach-e (not ours) was at my local dealership service dept. and was getting diagnosed because it was hit by lightning (not charging) just in a parking lot. However, this will kill most cars now a days.

Would you mind sharing what the whole house surge protection cost you? Retired here in the "lightning capital" of the U.S., and we're now in "Hurricane Season;" fully six (6) months of the year and getting longer and more turbulent.... (Was it the recent FEMA appointee who hadn't ever heard of a "hurricane season?" And these idiots are going to get FEMA out of the "Emergency" response business?).

 

[CHeil402]

Would you mind sharing what the whole house surge protection cost you? Retired here in the "lightning capital" of the U.S., and we're now in "Hurricane Season;" fully six (6) months of the year and getting longer and more turbulent.... (Was it the recent FEMA appointee who hadn't ever heard of a "hurricane season?" And these idiots are going to get FEMA out of the "Emergency" response business?).

I installed this unit, FYI

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Eaton-Whole-House-Surge-Protector-CHSPT2ULTRA-1/204761136

 

[McQueen]

I installed this unit, FYI

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Eaton-Whole-House-Surge-Protector-CHSPT2ULTRA-1/204761136

Thank you! "Electrical Engineer?" Much in demand here.

 

[Mach-Lee]

HI all. House was hit by lightning last night while my 2023 GT was charging. Got an alert on my phone there was an issue. Electrician this morning confirmed GrizzlE charger is OK but the car will not charge. The charger blinks red. Tried two other chargers in town and the car will not charge. Any chance there is a simple reset on the car or did some charging electronics in the vehicle fry. This is not my biggest concern at the moment, but I only have 194 miles til "empty". Any thoughts?

It's likely the on-board charger or diode has been fried. I would try a DC charger if you didn't yet, that uses different circuitry that may still work. You can also try the aforementioned 12V reset (disconnect 12V battery for 10 minutes). If all those fail, then you should drive it to the Ford dealer before you run out of range and call your insurance company and start a comprehensive claim.

I also strongly recommend installing a whole-home surge protector if you charge an EV, I've installed them at the locations I charge at (friends and relative's houses). I recommend the Square D™ HEPD80 or Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA. The device needs to be replaced every 10 years to ensure the protection still works (they degrade over time).

 

[GreaseMonkey]

If the car was plugged into the house electrical system at the time of the strike, I wonder if the OP's car insurance company will try to pass off the claim to his homeowners insurance. Hopefully the OP has the same insurance company for both.

The house didn’t cause the damage to their vehicle, the lightening did. If anything, the house lessened the impact on the Mach-E ??

 

[Tampamike]

Would you mind sharing what the whole house surge protection cost you? Retired here in the "lightning capital" of the U.S., and we're now in "Hurricane Season;" fully six (6) months of the year and getting longer and more turbulent.... (Was it the recent FEMA appointee who hadn't ever heard of a "hurricane season?" And these idiots are going to get FEMA out of the "Emergency" response business?).

I got mine through TECO when we moved in. It’s called a Zapcap and I think I pay a monthly fee for it. It’s installed at the meter.

 

[HayaCruza]

Be prepared for this to turn into a home owners claim.
This would be similar to your house catching fire with your car in the garage.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Be prepared for this to turn into a home owners claim.
This would be similar to your house catching fire with your car in the garage.

I hope it's a car insurance claim, not homeowners. Because otherwise the insurance companies will try to raise homeowners rates if you have an EV or charger in the garage. S*** is expensive enough. The damage is to the car, not the house.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Had the car not been plugged into the house electrical system it would have not been grounded to the house system, which provided the path for the lightening to reach the car and damage it.

Splitting hair.

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