California is asking residents to reduce EV charging during heatwave while banning gas-cars!
The last week and a half has been quite a rollercoaster of mixed emotions for California drivers. On August 24th, Governor Gavin Newsom revealed a proposal to ban the sale of new fossil-fueled cars in the state by 2035, with the ramp-up beginning as soon as 2026. This announcement made waves throughout the automotive industry and beyond. However, there was also concern about the feasibility of the proposal.
Some industry experts, including John Bozzella, President of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, think that meeting the requirements set by the state in time for the deadline will be "extremely challenging." Bozzella also questioned if the conditions are "realistic" and are "directly linked to external factors like inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure," among other factors.
It turned out that Bozzella was on to something when he mentioned charging and fuel infrastructure because just a week after the 2035 California gas car ban was announced, a heat wave hit the state and resulted in Governor Newsom declaring a state of emergency. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) also released an advisory asking residents to reduce charging electric vehicles, among other power-saving measures.
Given the current situation, one has to wonder if California's power grid can handle the influx of additional EVs on the road due to the new regulations. What plans are in place to ensure future EV owners can keep their car batteries charged?
According to MotorTrend, they went straight to Governor Newsom's office to ask those questions, and the responses focused squarely on climate change. "Extreme weather is what's causing our energy challenges. Extreme heat strains the grid, fires trip transmission lines, and drought reduces our ability to generate hydroelectric power," Newsom's office said in a statement to MotorTrend.
Newsom's office continued, "The only way out of this death spiral is to end our dependence on oil, and bolster our grid with more clean, reliable energy."
Climate change is a thing, and reducing emissions—including by transitioning to EVs—will surely help, but what about the specific question of California's power grid and its ability to support more electric vehicles? According to a data sheet from Electrek, over 560,000 EVs were registered in California in 2021, a 32.4 percent increase over 2020. We anticipate that number to continue to grow year over year in the future. Can the state handle it?
Newsom's office said that the state Legislature is "spending billions of dollars to accelerate our transition to 100 percent clean power." The response said that the Legislature has increased California's available power by "more than 4,000 megawatts - most coming from battery storage and other clean technologies." Those 4,000 megawatts are likely a major help, yet the state still issued its advisory about power usage this week asking residents to reduce EV charging. So, what about the future?
To that, Governor Newsom's office directed us to its 2022 scoping plan that lays out a "roadmap to carbon neutrality by 2045 or sooner and projects a 68% growth in the electrical grid to address the needs of a clean energy economy." Ah, there it is.
So, there is a plan to increase power availability by 68 percent in California by "2045 or sooner," which works out to average growth of about 3 percent per year between 2023 and 2045. Of course, that year-over-year number can fluctuate significantly higher or lower. Still, only time will tell if Newsom's plan will be enough to support the lofty goal of 100 percent new EV sales in a few decades.
There are EVs, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning, that can put power back into the grid from its battery (and extra-cost two-way charging equipment), and it is likely more EVs in the future will have similar functionality. That might reduce the strain a little bit if things get worse before they get better significantly, as that functionality doesn't just help in power outages. Owners with the correct setup can charge their EVs during low-demand hours (and for less money), then turn around and power their homes with their EVs during high-demand (costlier) electricity use periods. This could even out demand on the grid while also saving customers money. And, if they have extra power, they can sell it back to energy providers.
For now, all Californian EV owners can do to help is try to charge their vehicles during the day—before about 4:00 pm, or wait until after 9:00 pm to reduce the strain on the power grid.