Elon Musk Warns of Global Energy Shortage Due to Electric Cars and AI
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has predicted that the increasing use of electric cars and artificial intelligence (AI) tools will cause a global energy shortage within two years. Musk believes that power plant capacities must be expanded much faster to prevent an energy crisis. The rise in demand for electricity due to the growing number of electric cars being registered in most countries will significantly increase the need for power in the coming years. Switzerland has already planned to ban electric cars in December 2022, becoming the first country to do so. The Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) has also announced plans to create a way for network operators to reduce the power supply to controllable devices such as electric cars and heat pumps.
Musk’s warning was made during a conference held by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), the largest energy provider in the United States. He believes that the growing energy consumption is mainly due to the increased use of AI, which requires a lot of energy. Additionally, the growing number of electric vehicles on the road will also increase energy demand. According to Musk’s estimates, energy demand in the United States will triple by 2045. However, experts in the US energy industry expect a much smaller increase. For example, PG&E expects only a 70% increase in the next two decades.
Musk emphasized the urgent need to expand power plant capacities to prevent a global energy shortage. He stated that no matter how much energy we think we need, we will always need more. The warning comes as countries around the world are transitioning to renewable energy sources and electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions. However, the rapid adoption of these technologies may also lead to unforeseen consequences, such as a global energy shortage.
