Can you supply a good "this is how it actually works" reference for European electricity?
In the US there is one neutral and one hot line. Then there is the ground that is grounded at the box preferably. You can sometimes have a 240 line split to feed two 120 outlets where the hot lines from each are at a 240 difference to each other. If one line has a large load relative to the other, the neutral won't be that close to ground. Is that was is happening with these laptops?
>If one line has a large load relative to the other, the neutral won't be that close to ground.
Shouldn't it still be pretty close voltage wise? If we hold the neutral is always at 0v at the panel, since that's where it's tied to ground, the voltage on the neutral between the panel and the outlet should still be pretty low because copper wire has a pretty low resistance (by V=IR). I'd have to break out my calculator (and look up the actual standard values of copper wire resistance), but I'd guess even >20V would be quite unusual without some other fault...
At dc for sure, at 60hz perhaps imaginary impedance could create "spicy case". I only thought about it because I used to use a welding cable adapter for my dryer port that had a "bootleg ground" and the internet warned me a shock from the case could be a result.
All the "power safety" stuff does nothing if everything is correct and perfect, but if it fails, and ground and neutral are bonded anywhere EXCEPT at the panel, you can get power flowing through you.
Instead one wire is neutral, one is phase, and the third, optional, is ground.