California officials are asking residents to avoid charging their electric vehicles amid risks of a blackout.
The California Independent System Operator issued a bulletin warning residents of blackouts.
In the bulletin issued Tuesday, the operator explained, “Starting tomorrow through Thursday, California and the West are expecting extreme heat that is likely to strain the grid with increased energy demands, especially over the holiday weekend.”
The bulletin noted temperatures in Northern California are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees warmer than normal through September 6.
Southern California will reportedly experience temperatures 10 to 18 degrees warmer than normal.
As a result, “The power grid operator expects to call on Californians for voluntary energy conservation via Flex alerts.”
According to the bulletin, during the alerts, “Consumers are urged to reduce energy use from 4-9 p.m. when the system is most stressed because demand for electricity remains high and there is less solar energy available.”
It continues, “The top three conservation actions are to set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoid using large appliances and charging electric vehicles, and turn off necessary lights.”
Read the bulletin below:
DEVELOPING: California power grid officials warn of blackouts, urge residents to conserve energy.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 31, 2022
“Set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoid using large appliances and charging electric vehicles, and turn off unnecessary lights,” pic.twitter.com/hOn8kweyuD
The bulletin comes just under a week after it was reported that the state was expected to prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered cars, as IJR reported.
The rule would “require that 100 percent of all new cars sold in the state by 2035 be free of the fossil fuel emissions chiefly responsible for warming the planet, up from 12 percent today,” as The New York Times explained.
Additionally, the rule sets “interim targets requiring that 35 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state by 2026 produce zero emissions.”
Users on Twitter were quick to mention the ban amid the risk of blackouts.
One user wrote, “And California wants to ban gas vehicles. What could go wrong?”
And California wants to ban gas vehicles ?
— Gary Sheffield Jr. (@GarysheffieldJr) August 31, 2022
What could go wrong? https://t.co/r2xAe7eY2B
Conservative commentator Jesse Kelly tweeted, “PRO TIP: This is your future. And just the beginning. As you sit on limitless reserves of energy, the Going Green Death Cult is well on their way to destroy your way of life. It starts with this. Then they’ll just control your thermostat. Then one day, the lights go out.”
PRO TIP: This is your future. And just the beginning. As you sit on limitless reserves of energy, the Going Green Death Cult is well on their way to destroy your way of life. It starts with this. Then they’ll just control your thermostat. Then one day, the lights go out. https://t.co/FNcp0h09kZ
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) August 31, 2022
Check out more responses below:
Going entirely EV by 2035. ?????? https://t.co/zmGWpAX33D
— Martin Pelletier (@MPelletierCIO) August 31, 2022
Oh, but EVERYONE must be forced to buy electric cars! What don't these people understand? https://t.co/Ffnb4V7HwH
— Josh Barnett for Congress (AZ-01) (@BarnettforAZ) August 31, 2022
Hurry up and charge all of your EVs https://t.co/NP7exnOV1m
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) August 31, 2022
Thanks, CA Democrats! No wonder the entire state is moving to TN. https://t.co/klwLHcTdFZ
— Nick Searcy, INSURRECTIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) August 31, 2022
idk, progressivism feels a lot like moving backwards https://t.co/ZdSyf1YX7x
— Rebeccah Heinrichs (@RLHeinrichs) August 31, 2022
CNBC reported on Wednesday that Toyota announced it would invest an additional $2.5 billion in a facility dedicated to manufacturing batteries for hybrid electric and battery electric vehicles.
Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina will reportedly begin operations in three years.