How does lightning occur? When the particles in the clouds rub together, they build up a charge. Once the charge is large enough, the ground (or another cloud) will neutralize the cloud through lightning. This is because they will have opposite charges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0s7ucEMAKw

Cars in a thunderstorm The safest place to be during a thunderstorm is in a stationary car. The car acts as a Faraday Cage, which redirects the electricity to the ground, through an easier path than through your body. As long as you do not touch the frame of your car, the electricity will go through the frame, and not you. This can damage your car though, so it is best to get your car checked after it gets hit, even if it seems to be fine.

Gas Pump Fires 50 percent are caused when a person returns to a vehicle during refueling and doesn’t shut the door or touch other metal when leaving the car to remove gas pump nozzle from the car’s fuel pipe.       29 percent are caused when a person unscrews the gas cap.       21 percent occur for other reasons. To prevent the majority of gas pump fires: Touch your car’s frame before fueling.

Van de Graaff generators A belt inside the generator will cause the sphere to build up a negative charge through friction. If you keep your hands on the sphere and are not grounded, you will also build up a negative charge. As soon as you are grounded, you become neutralized, which is why you “zap” people and yourself. If you are not grounded and have long hair, the charge builds up in your hair and it will stand up, trying to discharge in the air. If you do not stand on an insulator, you will continuously be grounded.