California Dreamin’ – Electric Cars, Heat Waves, and Rolling Blackouts

The Gold Rush era, California or bust signs and all, takes on a whole new meaning today. Once the land of opportunity, prosperity, and dreams, this golden country has seen a decline in fair politics and quality of living, at least according to some. Homelessness, crime, and costs have increased so much that people have been moving out of the area in droves. And as if to rub salt in the wounds of those who remained, state officials passed a new law to get rid of gas-powered vehicles by 2035 – then just a couple of weeks later told residents to not charge their electric vehicles to conserve energy during a long heat wave.

California and the Contradiction Conundrum

Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order two years ago that included the deadline for fully transitioning to electric vehicles. On August 25, that part of his order passed, despite many concerns as to whether the state would be ready and able to meet the demands. Then, just days later, California experienced a heatwave that saw record temperatures – It got as high as 116 in Sacramento.

The power grids, however, are not quite capable of handling so many people hiding from the heat in the air conditioning. So what does a state do in such circumstances? Send out massive warnings and requests to conserve power, including the edict not to charge those awesome electrical vehicles, at least not during peak hours.

A high school classmate and friend of more than 30 years – who also happens to be a liberal – reached out on Facebook to ask: “Who has experienced a rolling blackout this year?” She lives in Central California, where high heat is expected in the summer, just not so much in September. Several people responded, saying they received warnings to conserve energy between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., a couple experienced power outages, and one said her Mother in the Carlsbad area had a rolling blackout for about an hour.

So, I asked for thoughts on getting rid of gasoline-powered vehicles while being asked to conserve energy. My friend responded that things would get better since it’s “in 13 years,” before going into effect. “It doesn’t say California will be doing away with gas cars,” she wrote. “It will impact the sale of new vehicles not used for currently owned vehicles. Asking people to do the bare minimum in a heat wave for a week doesn’t mean electric cars will drain the system.”

Not everyone would agree.

Donald Peppars of Pomona wrote in the “Letters to the Editor” section of the Los Angeles Times that they had experienced more than two hours without power recently. He said he had to use his gasoline-fueled vehicle to charge his phone. He continued:

“In an all-electric future, what would happen to the California economy if the grid was sabotaged or shut down for several hours? A workable solution involving electric vehicles, gas-powered cars and non-electric appliances needs to be considered.”

California has short-term targets that, if not met, would place stiff penalties on automotive manufacturers: By 2026, 35% of new vehicles must be hybrid or fully powered by battery or fuel cells – and it increases to 68% by 2030. Those who don’t meet the deadlines will either have to buy credits from other manufacturers or pay a $20,000 fine for every vehicle they produce that doesn’t meet the renewable energy requirements.

Although California may be out in the forefront of going to electric transportation, at least 17 other states are considering the same, including Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, and Vermont. But is America ready for such a change? With rolling blackouts, extreme weather conditions, and lack of supplies and places to produce the batteries, is this really a feasible plan?