California‘s plea to limit charging of electric vehicles during a fearsome heatwave has been met with mockery on Twitter, days after the state passed a ban on gas-powered vehicles to take effect by 2035.
The state’s top energy regulator has warned Californians to avoid charging their EVs between peak hours of 4pm to 9pm through Tuesday, and to crank their thermostats up to 78F in a bid to avoid blackouts.
In response to soaring power demands, California Governor Gavin Newsom also declared a state of emergency that temporarily removes pollution controls on fossil fuel power plants to allow them to generate more electricity.
The unusual combination of circumstances, as triple-digit temps strain California’s aging power grid, was seen by some as proof the state had not thought through its green agenda.
A driver charges his electric vehicle at a charging station in Monterey Park, California on Wednesday, as state regulators warn EV drivers not to charge during peak hours 4-9pm
‘Perhaps we should figure out how to fix our electric grid before we outlaw gas cars…just a thought,’ tweeted @AerysGG
‘So………this is what they want. Walking? Hitchin’ A Ride?? Moving to a more reasonable state??’ tweeted @cinda_scheef
‘How are we gone [sic] charge our electric vehicle in 2030 if we can’t even handle a heat wave???’ chimed in Twitter user @Frenchy7600.
The strain on California’s grid comes as the National Weather Service has issued an ‘excessive heat warning’ for most of state, with highs in excess of 100F forecast in the Los Angeles area over the weekend.
Nighttime temperatures are not expected to offer much relief, with lows struggling to get below 80 degrees Fahrenheit in many places.
In his order lifting pollution caps on fossil-fuel plants, Newsom pointed to the punishing drought in the US West that has crippled hydroelectric plants.
‘Energy reliability becomes more and more challenging… because demand increases at the same time supply decreases,’ he said, saying the situation showed the real-life impact of climate change.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency that temporarily removes pollution controls on fossil fuel power plants to allow them to generate more electricity
California’s only coal-fired plant, the Argus Cogeneration Plant in Trona, generates 62.5MW to power a soda ash processing facility (seen above)
Roughly 50 percent of California’s electric generating capacity comes from natural gas power plants, with most of the rest coming from a mix of solar, hydro, nuclear, and wind.
Newsom also called on households to do their part ‘to help us get through the next week or so, to turn up a little bit the thermostat at home to 78 degrees, try to pre-cool earlier in the day; try not to use too much electricity… between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm.’
Meanwhile, California has officially become the first in the world to enforce a ban on the sale of new gasoline cars by 2035, following a public hearing on Thursday that ended with the California Air Resources Board voting to approve the policy.
Automakers are now required to reduce the number of gas guzzlers they sell in order to reach the first quota of the plan that mandates 35 percent of new cars, SUVs and small pickups sold in California by 2026 be zero-emission vehicles.
The quota increases every two years, with 51 percent by 2028, 68 percent by 2030 and then 100 percent of all new vehicles sold should be battery-powered five years later – 20 percent of those sold can be hybrid plug-ins.
The National Weather Service has issued an ‘excessive heat warning’ for most of California with temps set to exceed 100F in some areas through the weekend
A weather map shows high temperature forecasts on Thursday across the nation
The new policy may be a step in the right direction to combating emissions, but officials have several obstacles to make sure each of the targets are met.
One such hurdle is installing enough charging stations across the state.
Although California has the most charging stations in the nation, it will need 2.1 million by 2030 to meet the demand of the new massive fleet of electric vehicles.
More than 73,000 public and shared chargers have been installed to date, with an additional 123,000 planned by 2025.
These numbers fall short of the state’s goal of 250,000 chargers by 54,000 installations.
John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said the mandate would be ‘extremely challenging’ for automakers to meet.
‘Whether or not these requirements are realistic or achievable is directly linked to external factors like inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing, and the ongoing semiconductor shortage,’ Bozzella said in a statement.
‘These are complex, intertwined and global issues.’
Californians are being advised not to charge their electric cars between 4 to 9pm from Wednesday to Tuesday due to the excessive heatwave to help reduce the strain on the power grid
In addition, officials have not mentioned how they plan on enhancing the power grid to deal with the onslaught of more electric vehicles, nor how it will deal with an overwhelmed power grid during heatwaves in the future because of it.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) told DailyMail.com that the primary stress on the power grid in the summer is air conditioners, but said it was too soon to know the last effects more electric vehicles will have on the power grid as driver switch over.
‘It’s too soon to tell what the impacts of the 2035 ban will be, but for now, we are asking EV owners to avoid charging during 4-9 pm on Flex Alert days, if possible,’ CA ISO Public Information Officer Anna Gonzalez told DailyMail.com on Wednesday.
As Labor Day weekend approaches, California and the rest of the West is expected to deal with a high-temperature heatwave.
Forecasters are warning people that the heatwave will be intense and long with above-normal temperatures, typically seen in June and July than early September.
Most of the West has avoided intense heatwaves over the summer due to the North American monsoon that kept temperatures lower than normal, but heat advisors and excessive heat watches are started to be implemented this weekend.
California is expected to see mid to high 90s this weekend until Tuesday.