Tesla Warns Californian Customers To Keep A Full Charge Ahead Of Roving Blackouts. Some buying
Chris White Tech Reporter
October 10, 2019 12:22 PM ET
Some electric vehicle owners in California are resorting to using gasoline power as the state’s power utility employs roving blackouts to avoid potential wildfires.
Tesla warned its customers Wednesday to be aware of the problems and fully energize their vehicles instead of relying on half-power. Two electric vehicle owners in the state say they are not taking any chances and will rely on gas power to run their cars if they lose power.
California’s public utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) begins a days-long power shutoff to curb the risk of wildfires.
“At least in the worst-case scenario I have a gas-based generator for my house and for possible charging of my car,” Chad Dunbar, a resident of Petaluma, Calif. who works in IT in local government, told The Washington Post Wednesday night. His power was still on as of Wednesday, WaPo noted.
Dunbar bought gasoline-powered generators to charge his Tesla Model 3 in case of an emergency. He fully charged his vehicle Tuesday night ahead of the planned blackouts. (RELATED: Parts Of California Go Dark To Curb Wildfire Risk)
“A utility company in your area announced they may turn off power in some areas of Northern California beginning October 9 as part of public safety power shut-offs, which may affect power to charging options,” a message from Tesla read, according to Twitter posts from customers. “We recommend charging your Tesla to 100% today to ensure your drive remains uninterrupted.”
The electric vehicle company has not yet responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation for comment.
Zlatko Unger, 35, of Redwood City looked up the availability of Tesla charger stations after he got the company’s warning, telling reporters that the station he normally uses was busier than usual.
Unger said he has a backup plan if there is a catastrophe. He would use his Kia Niro plug-in hybrid, which can shift to gasoline power once the electric battery is depleted. “If everything went haywire, we would opt to use the hybrid instead,” he said.
Power went out for 513,000 northern California homes and businesses Wednesday morning, USA Today reported. Roughly 234,000 customers were expected to lose power later Wednesday afternoon, with another 42,000 people going dark, the outlet reported.
PG&E uses a mixture of natural gas, hydroelectric energy, and nuclear energy to power homes across northern California.
The next step in the story would be putting the two-stroke generator on a small trailer.
Towed by the electric car.
Charging while you discharge.
Brilliant Bob.
This will be a winner in CA.
Clever Frenchmen way ahead of you and with a grant too! https://en.reset.org/blog/ep-tender-trailer-helps-electric-cars-cover-long-distances-04032017
Californians demanded and achieved Back to Nature
California’s Dark Ages
“But the utility says inspecting all of its 100,000 or so miles of power lines and clearing dangerous trees would require rates to increase by more than 400%.”
Not if convict labor is used (including parolees).
Hasn’t California banned backup generators yet?
I hear that’s next on the docket, once they tie up loose ends on violating 2nd amendment rights.
Charging from a 30 amp, 240 volt outlet, you get between 14 and 22 miles of travel per hour of charging.
https://www.tesla.com/support/home-charging-installation/mobile-connector
The largest generator you can buy at Home Depot could support this load, but would need to be refilled with gas every hour or so. Imagine trying to completely charge a Tesla overnight.
Go to youtube and see that Tesla’s don’t like being charged from small generators and will shut down the charging because of changes in frequency and voltage from simple governor controlled generators.
The best way to end the insanity is to cut off electricity to California law makers everytime you cut electricity to California’s citizens.
Precisely the right idea! And especially Gov. Newsom.
Are there air pollution restrictions on home gasoline powered generators in California?
That’s what they get for using a combination of “renewables” garbage and NIMBY activism to shut down virtually all expansion of local generating capacity. The power is coming from the desert and from other states, which means it comes over the dangerous fire-prone cross-country distribution lines.
A small Thorium plant or two in every city (with a micro-mini for Paradise) and they would not need the cross-country lines at all. Not only would this get rid of most of the fire risk but it is also the long term solution to grid stability: get rid of the grid. Rely on local generation and only even activate the interconnections for emergency purposes.
But noooooo, CA only wants solar from SW deserts or hydro from WA (as if buying from Bonneville actually affects the amount of hydro used by the nation, when in fact it only raises the price). Eco morons.
You need not turn out the lights when leaving California.
“Oxygen-dependent man dies 12 minutes after PG&E cuts power to his home”
https://www.foxnews.com/us/oxygen-dependent-man-dies-12-minutes-after-pge-cuts-power-to-his-home
Sad…
This is just the beginning, folks! PG&E got mandated to put in a ton of solar and wind and was mandated to pay top dollar for each. In a couple of years, Diablo Canyon goes dark and with it nearly 10% of the state’s base load.
PG&E got dinged 30 years ago on the Campbell Complex fire when a major transmission line heated up on a hot day when most had their A/C going full-blast and that line dipped to an encroaching tree and 60,000 areas of brush and timber got cooked.
The CPUC knew back then of all the infrastructure issues yet chose to start the conversion to “green” and renewable, but renewable doesn’t include hydro in the state’s definition, so I’m told.
FWIW, the same unaccountable political appointees running the CPUC are the same political “experts” as one would find at CARB, the “inventors” of the CARB-approved gas cans that spill more gas on the ground than they keep out of the environment….
I got one of those CARB gas cans & while I was at it I also got a regular old fashioned filler spout that was hanging nearby. Replaced the junk part as soon as I got home & have had no problems with spillage. That worked out well because I took the time to read a bunch of reviews when I was looking for a gas can.
Unless I’m wrong, didn’t the power companies request to put the power lines underground but the people thought it was too expensive and the politicians vetoed it? It may be more complicated than my explanation but isn’t that what happened years ago and gets repeated often?
“Unless I’m wrong, didn’t the power companies request to put the power lines underground but the people thought it was too expensive and the politicians vetoed it?”
The legislature passed it but His Jeryness vetoed it. That was within the past 12 months, maybe 6 months.
And we thought this was a joke
“Mommy,what did people use for lights before candles?”
answer”Electricity.”
Nice to see California leading the way…into darkness.
It serves the voters of California right that they are suffering from voting in these Global Warming Kooks.
This is what happens when you agree with these climate change politicians.
LOL lol HA HA HA HA etc.
But it is too bad that it is northern CA that are having these blackouts. They didn’t vote for the Global warming Kooks like LA and San Fran…. It should be LA that should be having their electric turned off, and San Fran too !!!
– JPP
So a number of years ago the governor Brown of California made a statement. “Look how much California has reduced its power production emissions compared to our neighboring states.” The truth behind that lie is that the company I worked for installed 185 LARGE Gas turbine generators in sites all along the border of California in those neighboring states to satisfy the increased power demand. PG&E was importing that power across the state lines into California and keeping the emissions in the state of origin. Looks good on paper but just think if these units were located across the state where the power is needed then you could have maybe kept the lights on in more areas and been able to not disrupt the whole northern part of the state to satisfy a lawyers pipe dream.
Just more stupid Left wing environazie tricks.
The last Democrat that messed with our electrical supply got thrown out of office.
Juan Browne, an airline pilot who comments on aviation matters, produced a video about the PG&E cuts in Nevada City. Illuminating.
Here’s a tip for the policy-makers or supermarket executives: Require supermarkets to have backup generators to keep their freezers cold.
I suspect owners of homes with solar panels will lobby for an option to disconnect from the grid and operate independently. (Why wsn this option offered from the start?)
The option to run independent of the grid will require batteries, controllers, and maintenance. The costs will be much higher and there will be ongoing costs to replace batteries, etc.
Most homeowners will not understand the maintenance requirements and so the systems will become dysfunctional and perhaps unsafe.
You are correct that running appliances from solar requires battery backup. These systems are commonly available from Tesla, Generac and others and require 0 maintenance.
Those that have electric vehicles can also run mission critical appliances from their car. Even my ’13 Volt can run a fridge for a few days.
Around 6:30 he mentions city water being a “gravity feed so it’s ok.” Well there has to be some power to deliver the water…doubtful they live off of snowpack melt that flows down to a treatment plant at a high elevation that flows down to the city. And power is required to treat the water…lots of power.
Nevada City is at the lower edge of the Nevada County Water District, which extends to the Pacific Crest. They generate power from the reservoirs, and there’s no reason they can’t use gravity feed for the western towns. Now up on the crest, they need pumps, but hardly anyone lives there.
The State of California should install a free solar powered changing station for everyone with an electric car for free in the State of California. I would also like the State of California to give me a free electric car and appropriate solar changing station so that I can help reduce CO2 emissions. The charging station must include a battery that can be used to charge up the electric car during the night. Anything installed on my property I must own free and clear with no added taxes in any form. I cannot afford to pay anything for it but am willing to do my part to reduce fossil fuel usage.
Even dumber than the French Shadoks !
Heard on Fox NEws: +++California to legislate against fossil fueled emergency generators. Only renewable emergency generators will be permitted for home use.+++
So it begins just as it has in South Australia. They’ll wriggle and squirm and use all the weasel words they can to avoid the blame for their lunar prescriptions but when the lights go out the game is up. Just a matter of time as you can’t hide the truth forever. Transport and electricity running on solar wind and batteries is pure fantasy from technical and economic illiterates.
Little shampoo bottles in hotels and motels the burning issue of the day eh? Nero fiddling while Rome burns. There’s a fallacy of composition that we can all sue our communal power supplier anymore than we can sue our own Govt.
For puttering around town a flex-fuel hybrid is probably the best bet for contingencies. I’m hoping Liquid Piston’s rotary design becomes a success, that would make for an even better hybrid vehicle.
Nevada City is at the lower edge of the Nevada County Water District, which extends to the Pacific Crest. They generate power from the reservoirs, and there’s no reason they can’t use gravity feed for the western towns. Now up on the crest, they need pumps, but hardly anyone lives there.
An old high school friend of mine still living in the foothills of the Cascades bought and installed a 20kw gas generator earlier this year when it was evident that PG and E was going to shut off power under certain conditions. He has cruised through the many power outages. Just what is the job of PG and E if it is not to provide cheap, Reliable, I mean Reliable. Er hum, Reliable power to its customers?
In other news, a video has turned up showing that a smoldering garbage truck was the cause of at least one major fire in California.
Of course this has grave implications, as it now appears that, going forwards, all waste removal activity will cease during fire weather events to avoid a repeat.
Next up: Cars can cause fires…
First, let me qualify: I am neither pro nor anti-EV. I am an engineer who has had more than a few V8 powered vehicles in the garage and at the same time dabbles in e-mobility at work. I feel pretty close to the middle. It seems to me charging an EV with a gas or diesel powered generator isn’t as ironic as I originally thought. Imagine if there was a gas shortage. Could we all somehow conjure up gasoline for our V8s by plugging in an electric refinery? These EV owners are just being resourceful.