CA to Fall 21.1% Short of Power Needed to Meet Electric Vehicle Mandate

California’s liberal politicians have imposed several mandates to ban all gas-powered vehicle sales in the state by 2045 — but new data shows that the state doesn’t have the electricity capacity to meet that goal.

According to a study by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), California will fall 21.1% short of the power capacity needed to meet the state’s 2045 electric vehicle mandate.

Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California, says that the news is no shock because state politicians aren’t looking at data like electricity availability when they impose draconian mandates. 

“California’s liberal politicians are pushing costly mandates bolstered by fear-based climate change narrative — but the reality is that when you take into account production and electricity generation these electric vehicles cause just as much if not more emissions than gas-powered vehicles,” said DeMaio.

“Even worse, California doesn’t have enough electricity capacity today - or even projected into 2045 - to handle all the increased demand EVs will bring onto our electric grid,” DeMaio  continued.

“Finally, the cost to consumers will be a crushing blow as electricity rates will spike and consumers will be forced to pay astronomically high rates that will make a $8-per gallon gas price look like a bargain,” DeMaio warned.

According to the PRI study, “nearly 60 percent of current state electricity generation comes from natural gas and nuclear power.”

DeMaio points to recent efforts by state politicians to ban natural gas appliances and require costly retrofit mandates in existing homes, as well as attempts to shut down the state’s only operational nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon Power Plant, after already shutting down the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in 2013. Diablo generates 5-8% of the state’s power supply.

“This is third grade math — if we get most of our electricity from clean nuclear and natural gas sources, and California’s liberal politicians are trying to shut down those sources without a reasonable replacement, then of course we’d have a power crisis,” explained DeMaio.

As it is, California is now forced to import over one-third of its power from other states.

“As a result of California’s mandates and restrictions, we now have to import more than a third of our energy from neighboring states — but when it gets hot in the Southwest, Arizona and Nevada can’t send us their excess power supply because they need it for their residents, and it’s lights out in California as a result,” DeMaio warns.

“Lights out” has been demonstrated in California with rolling blackouts during recent heat waves. And that’s despite Californians paying the highest energy prices in the nation. 

A recent study from EnergySage stated that the average residential electricity rate in California ($0.30/kWh) is 73% higher than the national average rate (40.17/kWh) - and that’s not counting all the extra hidden state fees and taxes California imposes.

“This is a supply-and-demand electricity crisis in California — and once everyone is forced to rely on the already failing electric grid to power their vehicles, just imagine how much more expensive rates will become, let alone how many more blackouts we will have,” explained DeMaio.

But those cost increases would factor in more than just demand; there would have to be significant infrastructure improvements to provide more public charging stations — costing taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars. 

“This whole electric vehicle mandate is an expensive and convoluted scam that will do nothing to lower emissions — but will burden the state’s hardworking families with massive tax and utility cost increases as well as an even more unreliable electric grid,” said DeMaio.

DeMaio warns the situation will get much worse if state politicians pass a brand new mandate to ban all natural gas appliances and force homeowners to pay $30,000 each for expensive home retrofits to switch to all-electric appliances.

“These politicians are out of control and we need new leadership in Sacramento, or residents will be in the dark with blackouts and will be paying absurdly high electricity rates far into the future,” DeMaio warns.

That’s why DeMaio and Reform California are leading the campaign to flip target seats and elect reform-minded politicians that will work to halt these mandates and implement common-sense energy policies.