The driver is fine but the Prius is toast.
Back to Future taught us something: the amazing energy of a lightning bolt. But lightning doesn’t travel time if it strikes a car in real life. Instead, the enormous amount of electricity damages your vehicle’s electronics. Take this video as an example.
YouTuber More Pi covers tornadoes and extreme weather. A recent outing saw him in the right spot at the right moment (or the wrong place at all depending on your perspective) to capture a lightning bolt striking the Toyota Prius.
The clip begins inside More Pi. He is recording strong winds that blow the barn’s shingles. When suddenly he hears a loud crack and sees the blue flash, he is maneuvering the vehicle at a low speed.
More Pi does not immediately notice what has happened. However, the car shuts down immediately. Even though his Toyota is broken, More Pi’s first reaction is to think about the tornado that he’s looking for.
More Pi‘s friend captures the best angle of the lightning bolt striking the Prius. The lightning bolt strikes the antenna first, igniting a ball of flame. You can also see the location where electricity is reaching ground with the camera.
One of the Prius’s cameras stops recording video after the strike but continues to receive audio. The rearward facing camera briefly has a glitch but continues to work. However, the one pointed at Pi has no issues.
More Pi has updated the YouTube description to say that the dealer had to change the engine control module in order to diagnose the problem. Three more ECUs were also needed to be replaced by the shop. He decided to save money and repair the car himself. He’s not certain if it will still work, even if everything works.