When the California ISO issues a Flex Alert -- a call on Californians to reduce energy use during peak times to limit strain on the grid -- the agency asks that electric vehicle owners delay charging their cars. That would be a challenge for many EV drivers no matter the day, but especially during a heavy travel period like Labor Day weekend.
"That's going to be a nightmare for families," EV driver Jurgen Mitthesus said. "You imagine, someone is out late at night but they’re not in a wonderful network, young girls could be in danger. I think before they reach 2035 they need to have a really really great backup system in place.”
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California recently approved a framework for phasing out new gas-powered car sales by 2035, so the latest Flex Alert has some EV drivers concerned about the integrity of the grid as EVs grow in popularity.
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David Victor, a professor at UC San Diego who studies energy and the power grid, isn’t too worried about that.
"As long as we keep our eyes on the ball. As long as we keep expanding the grid, and energy services," Professor Victor said. Victor was part of a recently-released study that estimated California's power grid would need to nearly double in size to accommodate the growing demand for electric vehicles. “It's feasible because if we plan for it over the next 20 years or so then we have enough time to make these kinds of investments.”
Right now California has over 35,000 public electric car charging stations and an additional 43,000 shared private ones.
"And once companies see a very clear signal that they need to invest in this area, I think we're gonna have quite a lot of investment," Victor added.
California’s goal is to have 250,000 shared EV chargers installed by 2025.
