What recent news are you referring to? Does it put your concerns to rest: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/california-electric-cars-c...?
> A voluntary alert advising Californians to conserve energy during a specific time frame was issued in mid-June 2021 to “help balance supply and demand” on the power grid during an extreme heatwave in the region. Unplugging electric vehicles during peak usage times was one recommended measure included in a list of power-saving strategies issued by the California System Operator.
Couldn't find a 2023 news article though
Kinda weird actually that the NYT spun that into an electric-car issue.
https://www.caiso.com/Documents/california-iso-extends-flex-...
They even say so in the first paragraph.