Randy Schimka

CPUC staff have issued a proposal that would move California solar customers at PacifiCorp, Bear Valley, and Liberty off current net-metering terms at the first true-up after Jan. 1, 2027. The Commission set PacifiCorp and Bear Valley's legacy periods in 2020. PacifiCorp's tariff still grandfathers sites until March 1, 2040. Liberty customers never got a legacy period at all. Staff cites cost shift as the main issue. PacifiCorp and solar groups want the commitments kept; Cal Advocates supports ending them. No proposed decision yet. I'm a California solar owner, not in these territories, and I don't like this direction for rural customers who relied on those dates. What is a "20-year" commitment worth for your solar investment if it can be cut short this way? docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDo…

The CPUC will vote Nov. 19 on a Proposed Decision approving a settlement agreement among SDG&E, Cal Advocates, TURN and SBUA that would let SDG&E recover $620.6 million in 2019–2023 wildfire-mitigation costs. That amount is 19% below its request, over a period of three years. The PD estimates that will cost $6.76 a month (3.7%) on a typical non-CARE bill. PD (A.22-05-015): docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDo…

As a Cyberbeast owner, I keep thinking about spare parts now that Cybertruck production is winding down. The stainless body panels are unique to this truck, and so are the giga castings that hold it together. Building more castings later means keeping the molds and running a giant press again for a small fleet. So does Tesla build a big final batch of parts and store it? How many years of body panels and castings will it keep? And what happens to repair costs and insurance once that stock runs low? Owners deserve a clear parts-support commitment.

Tesla is holding an invite-only opening Thursday for its first Texas Semi service center, in Laredo, with a site tour, Semi ride-alongs and a chance to meet the service team. A Texas state filing for the same address shows a $1M, 29,805 sq ft renovation starting Dec. 1, 2026 and finishing Dec. 1, 2027. So Thursday looks more like a kickoff than a finished shop. Laredo is one of the busiest truck border crossings in the country, which makes it a smart spot for Semi support. The question fleets will ask: when can they actually book service there, and will there be charging on site? tesla.com/event/tesla-laredo…

35% of new non-Tesla fast-charging ports are now rated 400 kW or more, per Paren data cited by ChargePoint. But the number on the stall isn't the number your car gets. This is still widely misunderstood by most new EV drivers. Average fast-charger utilization is only 15.9%. At that level, demand charges from commercial electric rates hurt site economics more than a slower peak ever would. More reliable stalls matter more than faster ones IMHO. What sort of max speed do you see when charging at non-Tesla sites? Is there a gap between the "rated" station kW output and what your vehicle pulls at a lower State of Charge?

As a Cybertruck Beast owner, the next question is support. Tesla says parts and service will continue, but for how long? • How many years of parts? • Body panels and stainless repairs, beyond just drivetrain parts • Ongoing software and FSD updates • Powershare equipment support for owners like me who are still waiting on a home backup install The trucks on the road will outlast the production line.

A proposed National Electrical Code change for plug-in EV chargers is now accepting comments. The National Fire Protection Association's TIA 1881 would require an EV charger outlet's current rating to be the same as its branch circuit. If you charge your vehicle from an outlet, check the outlet rating, the breaker size and your charger's amp setting before you plug in. Comments are due Nov 30. It's proposed for NEC 2026; California is currently enforcing a code based on NEC 2023, so it will be a while before this reaches the enforcement stage in CA. For more information and a link to send a comment: docinfofiles.nfpa.org/files/…

What does it take to use an EV battery to power a home? The California Energy Commission will explore residential vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging in a public webinar on Tuesday, November 10. The program includes deployment experience from CEC grant recipients, automaker and equipment-provider panels, Q&A and public comment. As a Cybertruck and Model 3 owner that both have the Tesla Powershare feature, I'm very interested in the following topics: Which vehicles and equipment work together, what does installation look like, and what might it cost? The CEC is gathering input as it considers next steps and policies. fyi, this is not a rule-adoption meeting. The webinar will be held on Tuesday, November 10, 10 AM–2:30 PM PST, online energy.ca.gov/event/webinar/…

If you’re thinking about adding rooftop solar in California, there’s a tax deadline coming up. The exclusion that keeps a new solar system from raising your property taxes goes away on January 1, 2027 for new systems. This doesn’t apply to existing systems. If yours is already installed, it should stay excluded until you sell your home (or it otherwise changes ownership). Then the property tax can go up because the value of the solar will be added to the home's assessed value. For new systems installed after 1/1/27, the assessor will increase your home’s assessed value by the value of the new solar system. See the California Board of Equalization link below for more information: boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/pdf/lta…

Tesla's latest software update (2026.38) appears to have shut down third-party V2L adapters like Elejoy. These boxes plug into the Tesla's charging port, make the car think a DC charging session has started, then have a couple of 120V outlets to pull energy out instead of charging. Owners of cars without the Powershare feature have used them to power tools, camping gear and a few essentials during outages. On Tesla software version 2026.38.5.1 and later, owners report the car throws a battery fault and cuts power after about 3 to 20 minutes. It's unclear whether Tesla did this on purpose. A device that fakes a charging session to the car's battery system is a fair safety concern. Tesla is now bringing its own Powershare feature to more models, so a product like the Elejoy "discharger" won't be needed going forward on newer cars. Suggestion to Tesla from me: It would be an even better upgrade to the 120V portion of the Powershare feature if the car had a couple of built-in 120V outlets inside the vehicle instead of having to use the mobile connector outside with a Tesla adapter. Source: notateslaapp.com/news

You might not need a bigger electrical panel for future upgrades, and you almost certainly don't need 400 amps. Going electric means a heat pump, an EV charger, maybe induction cooking. Most homes can do all of it on 200 amps. Jumping to 400 is a different job: a much bigger panel, and often new utility equipment like a larger transformer or service line, which can cost more and take longer, and might even involve trenching in concrete to get to your panel. As you're doing researching for such a project, here are some pertinent questions to ask: Was the load calculation done from your actual meter data? The electrical code (NEC 220.87) lets your electrician start from your real 12-month peak, add 25%, then add every new appliance you're planning. Can load management do the job? A smart panel or an EV charger that throttles when the house is busy can often keep you at your current service or perhaps require a smaller upgrade (such as 100 or 125 to 200 amps), which is more practical. Plan for the whole electrification project up front so you only upgrade once. I upgraded my 125 amp panel to 225 amps when installing solar and it is serving me well years later. fyi, if you live in the San Fernando Valley area of CA: TECH Clean California just opened $20M in rebates covering panel upsizing, heat pumps and heat pump water heaters... techcleanca.com/about/news/n…

If you're in LA or Ventura County in CA on the Clean Power Alliance, the rebate for adding a battery to your solar just went from $750 to $2,000, and up to $3,500 for some homes. Why a battery matters more than ever in California: what you export earns very little, often just a few cents per kWh. Storing your solar and using it in the evening avoids both the on peak generation charge and SCE's delivery charges. Source: cleanpoweralliance.org/2026/…

IONNA pulled some CCS plugs out of service after damaged connectors started bending the ground pin in the charge ports of cars that plugged in later. IONNA says there were fewer than two dozen cases, all in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, that NACS plugs weren't affected, and that it has inspected 1,000+ plugs. This is the part of charger reliability nobody's dashboard shows. A charger can be "online" and still have a worn connector that damages the next car. Connector inspection should be part of uptime. Kudos to IONNA for getting ahead of the issue Source: ionna.com/blog/an-update/

Last night I wrote about SpaceX was reportedly talking to EchoStar about Boost Mobile. This morning the other half showed up. SpaceX picked Qualcomm to supply the chips for Starlink Mobile's 5G base stations on the ground, with "tens of thousands of sites" planned starting in 2027. The plan: satellites plus regular cell sites in one network. The engineering detail I noticed: Qualcomm keeps stressing performance per watt. Tens of thousands of new sites is a lot of new load spread across the grid, and all of them need power and backup that lasts through storms and PSPS shutoffs. It will be interesting to see what their backup power solution will be. Go Starlink!!!

Tesla's new software update (2026.32.300) will let you check whether your car supports the Powershare function. It's under Controls > Software > Additional Vehicle Information. Tesla only guarantees it on new Model 3 and new Model Y vehicles built in October 2026 or later. Some owners of earlier builds are finding theirs are supported too, because it comes down to hardware in the car. My May 2026 Model 3 already has it. With a Powerwall 3 and Wall Connector, it can back up the house at 240V up to 11.5kW. With the Mobile Connector and the Tesla "hammerhead" adapter, it can run tools or a fridge at 120V up to 2.4 kW. Check your vehicles screen before you assume you don't have it.

Tesla's Robotaxi is now running in Fort Worth with no safety monitor, its seventh unsupervised city. A Fort Worth Report reporter took a 15-minute ride downtown. The app canceled it first, then charged her $8.98 three times for one trip. The driving is getting the headlines, but the customer service is important too. With a human driver, a billing mix-up can get sorted out pretty quickly. With no driver, the app and support line have to get it right every time, at scale.

SpaceX has reportedly held talks with EchoStar about Boost Mobile, after Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile all refused it network access. If that happens, Starlink goes from texting from orbit to a possible fourth US carrier with its own satellites and towers. It matters for cars too. Connected cars and robotaxis live on cell coverage, and dead zones are a real problem on road trips. Just got back from a decent road trip through New Mexico and Arizona and our cell phones and car lost connectivity lots of times. I'd switch to Starlink phone service in a heartbeat it they can do better.

California's new RIDE program opened Nov 2 for rideshare drivers: up to $20,300 toward a new EV ($14,200 used), plus up to $1,170 a year for charging for 4 years. The vehicle incentive is generous, but the charging piece - not so much. A full-time driver can easily put 40,000+ miles a year on a car. That's roughly 10,000 kWh. Charging at home is not so bad price-wise, but many rideshare drivers can't do that. At public fast chargers it can be significantly more expensive. The real question: where does a driver without a garage charge? An apartment renter who depends on fast chargers gets the smallest benefit from going electric. Charger access and uptime near where drivers live matter as much as the subsidy. Eligibility: household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level and 4,500+ trips in the past 12 months. Pre-qualify before you buy. cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates…

As a power engineer, SpaceX's orbital compute project is one part I'm really interested in. In orbit, you get some good sunlight (even in LEO) and no grid connection to build or wait for. But every watt of compute turns into heat, and in a vacuum the only way to get rid of it is to radiate it as infrared energy. I can't wait to see from a technical perspective how SpaceX will design and roll out the radiator technology for their cooling system infrastructure...