Tesla has asked its customers in Texas not to charge their electric vehicles during peak hours so as not to overload the state’s power grid. However, the Texas Grid Operator (ERCOT) is urging residents to conserve electricity due to the extreme heat as the power grid is in near-breakdown condition.
Tesla sent out a warning on the screens of customers’ cars. The company advises them not to charge their vehicles between 3pm and 8pm.
“The heatwave is expected to impact the grid in Texas over the next few days,” the warning said. “The network operator recommends avoiding charging during peak hours between 3 pm and 8 pm whenever possible to help the state’s demand management efforts.”
ERCOT advised Texas residents to avoid running high-energy appliances between 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
Shutting off electric vehicles during peak hours could help the Texas power grid avoid power outages while residents are actively using air conditioners to cool their spaces. To make matters worse, the hot weather is accompanied by an almost complete absence of wind, which reduces the generation of energy from wind farms, which usually generate about a quarter of the electricity in the state.
This is the second time this year that Tesla is urging customers to stop charging electric vehicles during peak power hours due to high temperatures in Texas. The company sent out a similar warning in May 2022.
The hot weather also affected bitcoin miners in Texas. Mining companies have stopped their equipment to reduce the load on the power grid. In normal operation, such equipment requires more than 1000 MW of electricity, which is about 1% of the state’s total network capacity.
Bitcoin miners have flocked to Texas over the past year after China banned mining on its territory. As a result, the US has become the largest mining center in the world.
Source: The Verge , 2
