Californians Asked to Stop Charging Electric Cars Days After Ban on Gasoline-Powered Cars [Video]

California residents are being asked not to charge their electric vehicles to conserve energy amid a brutal heatwave — just days after the state announced a plan to ban sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

The plea comes as the Golden State sizzles in triple-digit temperatures, but the irony of the appeal was not lost on critics of the ambitious plan, expected to set the pace for a national and international shift to electric vehicles.

US House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) derided the about-face as a “joke.”

The California Independent System Operator, which runs the state’s power grid, issued multiple bulletins this week warning of “extreme heat” during the Labor Day weekend that is “likely to strain the grid with increased energy demands.”

The grid operator was asking residents to voluntarily reduce their power consumption by avoiding using “large appliances and charging electric vehicles” during peak usage hours …