Car Electricity Questions - Get Answers Now!

[CmdrSpock]

Hello, I have generally questions here, so I hope, that you will help me

1. How can a moving car become positively charged?
2. If I touch the door of a charged car, sometimes I get something like a shock. Why does it happen?

I would appreciate it, if you will answer me.
Thanks in advance

 

[berkeman]

Hello, I have generally questions here, so I hope, that you will help me

1. How can a moving car become positively charged?
2. If I touch the door of a charged car, sometimes I get something like a shock. Why does it happen?

I would appreciate it, if you will answer me.
Thanks in advance

Here's a good long explanation of the effect with respect to your clothes and your car seat:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lancashire/plain/A6378744

There can also be a mechnism with an object moving through the air causing a buildup of static charge, but I think that effect only comes into play with much faster movement than a car through the air (like with helicopter rotor blades, where static buildup is a very serious problem).

 

[Drakkith]

There's also the possibility that it's your body that's charged and not the car.

 

[NascentOxygen]

I believe tyre manufacturers add carbon powder to their rubber compound to make it conductive so that any static charge soon leaks away to earth.

 

[sardar]

.

Hello,

1. A moving car can become positively charged due to the build-up of static electricity. This can occur when the car is moving over a non-conductive surface, such as rubber tires on a road. As the car moves, friction between the tires and the road can create a separation of charge, with electrons being transferred from one material to the other. This can result in the car becoming positively charged.

2. The shock you feel when touching a charged car is due to the discharge of static electricity. When you touch the metal door of the car, the excess electrons on your body flow to the positively charged car, equalizing the charge. This sudden flow of electrons can create a small electric shock. This is similar to the shock you may feel when touching a metal doorknob after walking on a carpeted floor.