Tesla Says Its New Roof-Mounted Lightning Rod Instantly Charges Battery

How quickly can the FastMast, Tesla’s innovative new roof-mounted lightning rod, charge the 90 kWh battery pack on a Model S?  “In less than a second,” boasted Tesla engineer Adam Joules.

In fact, Joules says the telescoping FastMast can safely handle a 10,000 amp lightning bolt, although he acknowledges that claim hasn’t been tested, and he adds that Tesla prefers to use the term “lightning strike” instead of bolt “for obvious reasons.”

Joules said Tesla engineers had to deal with a few glitches during development of the FastMast.  “After one particularly powerful lightning strike, the pelvis airbags deployed and the interior smelled like blackened carp.”