Aviva Fried, US Correspondent 07:50, September 05, 2022

Since Friday in the western United States, temperatures have exceeded 50 degrees in some cities.

This "extreme" heat wave is undermining the Californian electricity grid, known for its fragility.

The only solution: reduce its electricity consumption, while the state has just banned the sale of gasoline cars.

California, like its electrical grid, is roasting under the sun.

Hit by an “extreme” heat wave, the state posted temperatures above 40 degrees, like in Los Angeles and even up to 52 degrees in Death Valley.

And inevitably, everyone has turned on their air conditioning, which puts the electrical network under pressure.

The network is aging, dilapidated and therefore has difficulty coping with this additional demand.

Power company officials warned there was a risk of blackouts, which happens regularly in the state.

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Inconsistency between ecological will and capacity of the electricity network

Authorities have asked Californians to reduce their consumption.

Users are asked not to use electricity too much during peak hours between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., and therefore not to charge their electric car at that time.

A request that falls rather badly: a week ago, California announced that it was banning the sale of gasoline cars from 2035.

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But if its network is unable to provide the necessary electricity, the measure will be complicated to put in place.

Which makes many people say that the state may have put the electric cart before the horse.

It would first be necessary to modernize the network, before moving on to all-electric cars.