power grid surge

[jeffolson]

There was a grid problem in my neighborhood. Everyone's electricity went haywire for a few minutes- lights dimmed and over-illuminated, computers and devices shut down, a power strip caught fire (at my neighbor's house).

I was charging my Bolt w/ level 1 charger and a dedicated 20 amp circuit. When I checked the car, it was displaying the yellow "problem" light on the dash. This was while the neighborhood grid was still unstable. Then the Bolt gave a loud bang, or pop. It's volume was loud, kind of like a door slamming, but it seemed electrical in nature.

I unplugged the charge cord. Later I test drove the car- no problems. I even plugged in the charge cable for 2-3 minutes w/o trouble.

Does anyone know if the vehicle is protected from a grid related power spike, or power surge? It's a new vehicle and I'm a bit worried to operate the charging system.

Thanks,

 

[marspilgrim]

:?: Resurrecting this post in case the community has learned more about this with the passing of time. Given that we can potentially recharge anywhere, how good is the Bolt at protecting itself from spikes, brownouts, etc.? I could be using mine or someone's 110 outlet in an emergency.

Our house has very stable power but we have had a few issues. I have a ClipperCreek 32A on order and I'm hoping that provides some protection. I'd rather fry that thing that the car! I'm sure the engineers have thought of this but I'd be nice to know a definitive answer if there is one.

 

[SuzanneGuinn]

As far as the ClipperCreek EVSE and the Level 1 cordset that came with the Bolt are concerned they provide some incidental voltage filtering, however protection from over voltage conditions is not an intentional function of either device. In all cases that we are aware of vehicles will implement a level of protection for typical grid over/under voltage conditions, however this protection and its implementation will likely vary by vehicle OEM.
It is recommended that if you are concerned with large voltage spikes from something like frequent lightning/electrical storms additional precautions, like installing a whole home surge suppressor, be taken. If at all possible unplug any vehicle during a lightning storm.
For any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact ClipperCreek at 877-694-4194.