Poll - Have you ever ran out of charge or gas?

[malinecentral]

In response to the thread about creating a business having cyber trucks charge other cars I am curious if anybody has ever ran out of range in any vehicle. I have been driving for 30 years and I’ve never run out of gas or charge.

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[tmeyer3]

Honestly, in many years of driving, this has never happened to me. Maybe if my gas gauge was broken I could see it, but it's pretty rare for me since it's still 0 times in 30 years.

 

[CyberGus]

My first experience with a Tesla was a M3P Turo rental.

I went to an appointment some distance away, and the in-car nav showed I would have enough capacity to get there, but not get back. Since I was running late, I saw there was a Supercharger nearby the destination, and figured I could charge afterwards.

Sure enough, I arrived with 20 miles of range, and only 12 miles to the SC. However, the appointment ran long, and a cold snap came though. When I went to leave, the BMS now showed only 10 miles of range. "No problem, I'll just turn off the heat and drive slow".

Shockingly, the range estimate eroded in perfect synchrony with traveled distance, so that I hit 0 range when still 2 miles away. ? Would I need a tow? A long extension cord? A thousand AA batteries???

Fortunately, Tesla accounted for idiots like me by leaving a little charge in reserve below 0%, and a crisis was averted. Lesson learned.

 

[malinecentral]

Honestly, in many years of driving, this has never happened to me. Maybe if my gas gauge was broken I could see it, but it's pretty rare for me since it's still 0 times in 30 years.

Same. I did once make a questionable decision in my Model X with my family in the car going from Phoenix to San Diego. We charged at a place in El Centro to where it said I had enough charge. We hit the road and start climbing up the Jacumba Mountains and the car tries to navigate me back to El Centro. I’m like there is no way. It said we had enough. I decide at that point that I am going to disregard what the Nav says and continue on. I was so nervous as I watched my range drop like a rock and hitting 1000Wh/m at some points. This was a make or break for me. If we ended up stranded I would have sold that car immediately. I remember being angry that there wasn’t a charger at the top of the mountain near the casino. Then the beauty of what goes up must come down happened. I was 30 miles out with 15% left. No way I was going to make it. And then as I was cruising down that mountain I noticed my battery was going up. I got all the way to like 20% at one point after like 20 miles of downhill driving. I cruised into our destination with like 13% left. I was sold at that point but a little upset at Tesla for trying to scare me into going back to the charger I just left.

 

[btcrealm]

Does running out of gas while testing the range limit of your vehicle count?
I mean I wasn't stranded.... I had a gas can and people I could call if I needed to.

I have also run out of gas in the tank off-roading with trucks that didn't have properly working gauges (no idea why those didn't work...).

So yes I've run out of gas, no I've never stranded myself.

 

[mochaev]

Personally I'm careful to plan enough range to the next charging stop, but the general public isn't as well prepared. Anecdotal evidence of never running out of charge isn't a reliable indicator. The aggregate is what really matters. Interestingly, this says that 16% of EV drivers have run out of charge at some point:
https://www.greencars.com/greencars-101/how-often-do-ev-owners-have-charging-anxiety

This in line with 20% of gas car drivers who have run out of gas at some point:
https://coastpay.com/states-with-the-riskiest-drivers/

While it's not an every day occurrence, it happens every day to someone somewhere.

FYI I created the other poll that OP referenced, and I pasted the response above for reference.
https://www.cybertruckownersclub.co...arging-service-to-help-stranded-drivers.39992

 

[Docedward]

1992 F150 with dual gas tanks and one tank gauge was broken. I knew I had two hundred miles per tank so I’d note in my head the mileage. Yeah- ran out of gas in Oklahoma at midnight with a6 month old and new wife in December 1999. One and only time I ran out of gas.

 

[GmP]

Not in an EV yet, but have had one only seven months now, who knows what will happen going forward.

And only once in an ICE car, 52 years ago, my first car, a VW Bug. I had the tank almost empty, but decided to drive pass a gas station to reach the gas station at the place my dad worked, because that was cheaper. Got stranded 1 miles, had to walk there and back. Lesson learned.

Also twice with my motorcycle, but that had a reserve stand, so switching to reserve I could start again and reach a gas station, so not really stranded.

Not with my e-bike either.

So ICE yes, EV no.

 

[tmeyer3]

My first experience with a Tesla was a M3P Turo rental.

I went to an appointment some distance away, and the in-car nav showed I would have enough capacity to get there, but not get back. Since I was running late, I saw there was a Supercharger nearby the destination, and figured I could charge afterwards.

Sure enough, I arrived with 20 miles of range, and only 12 miles to the SC. However, the appointment ran long, and a cold snap came though. When I went to leave, the BMS now showed only 10 miles of range. "No problem, I'll just turn off the heat and drive slow".

Shockingly, the range estimate eroded in perfect synchrony with traveled distance, so that I hit 0 range when still 2 miles away. ? Would I need a tow? A long extension cord? A thousand AA batteries???

Fortunately, Tesla accounted for idiots like me by leaving a little charge in reserve below 0%, and a crisis was averted. Lesson learned.

I've never gotten that low, a bit terrifying! I did once leave into the Colorado mountains with a planned 10% arrival energy and got a little nervous when a snow storm came through. Ever since then I've charged to at least 20% arrival energy just in case.

 

[malinecentral]

I've never gotten that low, a bit terrifying! I did once leave into the Colorado mountains with a planned 10% arrival energy and got a little nervous when a snow storm came through. Ever since then I've charged to at least 20% arrival energy just in case.

Im an at least 15 guy. The beauty of being stranded is it uses way less energy while stopped but a snow storm might not be how I want to go out. ? The lowest I have ever been is pulling into my driveway coming back from San Diego with 2%. But that was a scenario where I knew I had enough and I was heading home so I may have pushed it a little to see how low I could get it. My wife was not impressed.

edit: took a picture of that one too.

 

[ABILISK]

I did when I first started driving. Wasn’t used to being the one keeping an eye on the gauges I guess. Ran out of gas on the side of a highway. No clue when I would have checked fuel levels if science hadn’t slap me in the face with it. Parents brought me a gas can. Lesson learned.

 

[malinecentral]

I think it’s crazy that early results show that 50% of people have ran out of gas but not depleted their battery. Not sure how to read that except that range anxiety might be overrated.

 

[webspeedracer]

Have run our gas twice, both times with broken gauges where I had to reset the odometer with each fillup and do the math. First time was an old truck where I was too broke to fill it so wasn’t the usual math distance, second time was my old Mazda with A gauge that wouldn’t go below 1/4 tank, and I had forgotten to reset the odometer.

I’ve gone to 0 and below several times in my EVs, once when the expected destination charging station was full of PHEVs ?, and twice while towing my camper. I misjudged a long mountain pass in Utah and a caught off guard by a massive headwind in west Texas (the windmills were a frightening clue), so the excess weight and aero profile were the wildcards. But I’ve never been stranded in my EVs.

In response to the thread about creating a business having cyber trucks charge other cars I am curious if anybody has ever ran out of range in any vehicle. I have been driving for 30 years and I’ve never run out of gas or charge.

 

[btcrealm]

I think it’s crazy that early results show that 50% of people have ran out of gas but not depleted their battery. Not sure how to read that except that range anxiety might be overrated.

Its probably the opposite. Range anxiety is huge when you first get into EVs because its a completely new concept and there isn't an EV charger on every corner.

Also going EV even at this point is a conscious choice. Going to any used lot or online and buying a cheap gas car is no effort. The barrier of entry is much higher and therefore a more thoughtful (wording?) approach.

 

[Cybertruck 1974]

I did once towing my airstream with our H2. Fuel gauge was not accurate. Said I had 10 miles left and only got 1 then was out. 300 feet from the gas station.

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