California Asks Drivers Not to Charge Electric Vehicles For Third Evening in a Row

California drivers are beginning to worry about the future of the power grid, after the state asked them not to charge their cars for the third day in a row during the late afternoon and evening hours.

California authorities extended the state’s “Flex Alert” emergency conservation program on Friday, asking consumers to limit their use of air conditioners between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. as the state endures a late-summer heat wave and struggles to meet energy demand.

Local ABC 7 reported:

During a statewide Flex Alert, Californians are asked to reduce their power use in a variety of ways, including not charging their electric vehicles.

Another Flex Alert is set to take effect for the third day in a row on Friday as an intense heat wave smothers the state. Residents are asked to turn their thermostats up to 78 degrees and power down large appliances during peak hours.

But with the state turning more towards electric vehicles, it has some worried about the future of a reliable power grid.

State energy authorities announced: “For the third straight day, high heat and heightened demand for electricity has resulted in the California Independent System Operator (ISO) issuing a statewide call for voluntary electricity conservation.”

Curiously, the statement for Friday omitted the suggestion from earlier in the week that drivers refrain from charging electric vehicles — perhaps because the idea attracted media attention and mockery, given that California has just mandated that all new cars be electric vehicles by 2035.

Note that today's @flexalert from California energy authorities omits the recommendation from earlier this week not to charge electric vehicles. Perhaps nationwide criticism/mockery, after the state just banned sales of new gas vehicles by 2035, was a little too close to the mark pic.twitter.com/x2NFggKuhP

— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) September 2, 2022

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), whose Democratic predecessor linked his state’s vehicle emissions policies to those of California, vowed last week to sever that connection after California regulators approved the gas-powered vehicle ban.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.