Why California Residents Suddenly Can’t Charge Their Electric Vehicles
By Joseph Farago
California is suffering from a collection of naturally-occurring hazards. Extensive droughts have affected the state considerably, leaving many local government leaders to issue energy-conservation notices. As the Labor Day weekend begins, traffic will be even more troublesome than ever for California cities. The state is suggesting that locals don’t use their electric vehicles over the weekend since excessive charging might hinder the state’s power grid.
This issue comes merely a week after California passed a bill that would eventually eliminate the sale of gas-powered cars. Now that the state is in an energy and resource crisis, using electricity to charge cars may interrupt California’s entire power grid. Alongside the ongoing drought, a heatwave is expected to occur in the state, forcing many to use their electricity to power their AC units. If millions of AC units extract too much energy, then immense pressure will be put on California’s power grid. To avoid a complete shut-off, the state urges those to refrain from electric-car charging during the Labor Day weekend.
The California Independent System Operator issued an advisory about restricting maintenance operations between August 30th and September 6th. This ensures that generators and transmission lines are all working properly as California residents start using excessive electrical amounts to power their air conditioning. The state’s ISO will also have alerts for residents to remind them to conserve their energy, though this might be difficult in a prolonged heatwave.
This is the state that will outlaw selling gas cars by 2035. They can’t even keep the lights on now much less charge millions of cars and trucks.