As a car that relies entirely on energy used from electricity, Tesla cars of course require charging to charge the battery so that it can run. If the battery does not discharge if it is empty, of course the vehicle cannot perform its function.
In the state of Texas, United States, it urges Tesla car owners not to charge at certain hours during the heat wave season that hit the region. Of course this will have an impact on the use of the car or the owner must be more selective in charging.
Why are Tesla owners being encouraged like that? Yes, the appeal was delivered last week. ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas announced that six of its power generation facilities died during the heatwave due to high consumption. ERCOT said the six power plants supply energy to more than 500,000 homes.
In connection with the announcement from ERCOT, Tesla electric vehicle owners are advised not to charge their cars during peak hours to avoid skyrocketing electricity consumption.
The notice was posted on a notice board at Tesla’s Texas-owned charging station. “A heatwave is expected to affect electricity in Texas in the next few days,” the notice board said. “Electrical operators are calling for avoiding charging during peak hours between 3pm and 8pm, where possible, to help state government efforts to regulate electricity consumption.”
According to the National Weather Service, the average temperature in the Dallas area during the month of May is around 22.7 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit). In the recent heatwave season, the average temperature in Dallas rose to 28.3 degrees Celsius (83 degrees Fahrenheit) and the highest was 34.4 degrees Celsius (94 degrees Fahrenheit).
National Weather also stated that in the past week, the temperature conditions had not decreased. It is even predicted that some areas in the Southeastern US will be enveloped in temperatures above 32.2 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit).
For owners of electric vehicles in Texas, saving electricity consumption is actually not by not charging during peak hours. They also have to make adjustments to their driving behavior or habits. For example, reducing the distance traveled or reducing driving time and saving air conditioning usage by setting the cold point not at altitude.
Please note, the population of electric cars in Texas is the third highest in the US so the authorities feel the need to release the advisory. According to research conducted by AAA, the use of air conditioning at a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius can reduce the distance that an electric car can travel by as much as 17 percent. However, this number has been denied by a number of Tesla owners.