California Grid Warns of ‘Flex Alerts,’ Suggests Residents Not to Charge Electric Cars

Traffic backs up at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza along Interstate 80 in Oakland, Calif., on July 25, 2019. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Californians were warned by the state’s grid operator that they might be asked not to charge electric vehicles in the coming days to prevent blackouts amid a regional heatwave—coming less than a week after state regulators voted to phase out new gas-powered vehicles in favor of electric cars by 2035.

California Independent System Operator said in a release that starting Wednesday, an “excessive” and “extreme” heatwave will inundate the Golden State and the western United States. It said that a “flex alert” will likely be required and said it “expects to call on Californians for voluntary energy conservation.”