Oddbean

There could be a physical connection that doesn't connect if something doesn't seem right with the power connection. There would need to be something between the charging port and rest of the vehicle. I'm not saying their computers can do that. It was mostly a theoretical joke. But it probably isn't a bad idea to confirm that a power source is good before allowing it to connect to something that costs as much as a vehicle. I realize you can't control what people touch a vehicle with, but the charging port is an access point that seems theoretically possible for a computer or sensor to monitor. My knowledge here is limited, but it seems that an improperly wired charging source would look weird to a computer monitoring the vehicle charging port and the current flowing through it. I'm imagining something similar in theory to what the brick on my phone and laptop does. It doesn't just allow whatever the hell I plug it into to dictate what gets to my device as far as I know.

Yes, well you aren't comparing two of the same things. Your power brick is galvanically isolated from line power with a safety barrier. There is no need to attach any part of the charge cable to earth ground because of this isolation. The vehicle, on the other hand, is taking line power directly into the charge port. There are worldwide earth-grounding regulations that dictate the ground prong of the outlet is attached directly to the chassis ground of the device it provides power to. There is no computer smart enough to detect an improper ground, and no certification agency will accept a circuit that intentionally disconnects the device from its earth ground connection. Agency assumes the outlet is wired properly, and this is generally a safe assumption given that nearly every jurisdiction requires a licensed electrician pull permits, install, test, and ensure is inspected under the authority of the municipality. What these jokers are doing is intentionally unsafe. What is implied by the video is simply not possible without significant and intentional tampering.