Emergency Preparedness: Electric Cars, Autonomous Vehicles & Home Batteries

Electric vehicles, autonomous cars, and home battery systems are reshaping everyday life across the Peninsula. When the power goes out, floodwaters rise, or wildfires threaten, do these technologies help — or complicate the crisis?

Recent blackouts in San Francisco offered a stark preview: autonomous vehicles stalled at darkened intersections, snarling traffic at the worst possible moment. It's a reminder that new technologies bring new vulnerabilities. With more than 57,000 EVs now registered in San Mateo County and home battery installations surging, our emergency preparedness must keep pace.

Join us for a timely public lecture by Fire Marshal Gage Schlice of the Menlo Park Fire District. Drawing on frontline experience, Fire Marshal Schlice will explain what makes EVs, autonomous vehicles, and home batteries behave differently during power outages, floods, fires, and evacuations — and what you can do now to stay safe.

This lecture is designed for residents, EV owners, neighborhood leaders, and community emergency volunteers. Free and open to the public.