Key Takeaways
The recent wildfires in LA County have awakened people further to the limitations of the electric vehicles Governor Newsom has mandated they buy.
Electricity availability for charging stations, brownouts, and blackouts could limit EV owners’ ability to evacuate during a wildfire.
Californians are gravitating towards hybrids (gas-electric) over pure electric vehicles, which are being pushed by green NGOs and Newsom.
Hybrid sales are rising faster than EV sales, and automakers are responding with new hybrid offerings.
The wildfires in Los Angeles have made people realize that electric vehicles (EVs) are not reliable because of the inability to charge EVs during a power outage. Power outages have resulted from high winds, and L.A.’s wildfires have magnified the grid destruction. If your only vehicle is electric and only charged to a fraction of the battery’s range when evacuation orders come, you may be in serious trouble getting to a safe destination, as Californians are now figuring out. Evacuees can expect EV stations to have massive lines and delays and may not even have power if the electric grid cannot supply it. Furthermore, power companies can turn off their power to avoid sparking a fire and legal liability. None of this is the case with gasoline-powered cars, whose sales Governor Newsom is totally outlawing by 2035 with increasing EV sales mandates beginning next year.
If Not Electric Vehicles, Then What
As EV owners are finding out, electric vehicles require a “lifestyle change,” which includes setting up a home charger that may require an electrical upgrade, calculating routes for longer distance travel to find where charging is available, and searching for working public chargers when charging stations are jammed or chargers are inoperable, which is often happening.
Many Californians, still environmentally conscious and burdened by the state’s high gas prices, are turning to hybrid vehicles. According to automobile data company Edmunds, hybrid sales were up 63% in 2023 and 29% in 2024, to 1.8 million vehicles. For the same years, EV sales were up a lower amount—34% and 13%, respectively, to 1.2 million vehicles—and down from a 45% growth rate in 2022.
Most big auto companies are turning their focus to hybrids. Ford has slowed its EV rollouts in favor of hybrid vehicles. Nearly 25% of Ford F-150 pickup sales are hybrids. Hyundai, whose Ioniq 5 and other mid-priced electric cars are selling well, recently introduced the Hyundai Way program that offers an array of powertrains emphasizing hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Hyundai hybrid sales were up 46% in 2024, while EV sales rose at a lower rate—28%. Auto companies predict faster EV growth in the future as drivers become more comfortable with EV infrastructure, but, in the meantime, they are meeting consumer demand for hybrids.
New hybrid models are coming online in 2025, both traditional hybrids and plug-ins. Both types combine a small car battery with an internal combustion engine, achieving better gasoline mileage under certain traveling conditions. A traditional hybrid does not need to be plugged in because it uses a gasoline engine to recharge. A plug-in hybrid has a larger battery—typically 30 to 50 miles in range—and can be charged overnight with a regular 110-volt home outlet. It can run solely on the battery until depleted, and the combustion engine takes over, extending the driving range using gasoline.
Other Issues Come with Politically Acceptable Electric Infrastructure
How electricity is generated to fuel electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids is also an issue. Newsom has increased California mandates for “green energy,” much of which is weather-driven and intermittent wind and solar power, which needs as backup expensive but politically favored storage batteries. Recently, a fire broke out at a battery storage facility in Monterey County that the company claims is the largest in the world, requiring the county sheriff to order evacuation and closure of surrounding streets. The storage facility, completed in 2023, stores 750 megawatts of excess generation when it is available. The energy from the storage battery is released at a later time when the sun is not shining, and the wind is not blowing. In 2021, the battery complex also suffered damage from a malfunctioning heat detector, and in 2022, a small fire broke out at an adjoining battery plant owned by Pacific Gas & Electric.
Clearly, safety is an issue with three storage battery fires in three years. Those concerns fueled a ballot measure last year in Morro Bay to block Vistra, the battery company, from getting local permits to construct a battery facility near a power plant. Despite the measure passing in November, the project is going through a fast-tracked California permitting process because it is politically favored.
Conclusion
Wildfires and power outages in Los Angeles have made Californians think twice about owning a full-fledged electric vehicle because they are worried about the ability to fully charge their vehicles amidst high winds and wildfires and the ability to evacuate if their electric vehicle is not fully charged. Instead, they are looking for hybrid vehicles like many other Americans. U.S. hybrid sales are up more than EV sales, as they allow drivers flexibility in fuel choice while allowing the EV infrastructure to develop. Automakers are also focusing on hybrids, with more hybrid models coming out in 2025.
