[b789pilot]

Just a straw poll to try and gauge how common this may be with existing EV owners. I doubt it’s anything more than a very rare occurrence for a very few people. However, with ever increasing numbers of EVs out there, it would be interesting to know if it has a higher incidence when compared to ICE vehicles running out of petrol/diesel.

 

[cDy]

Why the 'but it is my biggest worry' clause? I've never run out of power in an EV and I don't worry about it at all.

 

[b789pilot]

Why the 'but it is my biggest worry' clause? I've never run out of power in an EV and I don't worry about it at all.

Because for many people who either don’t have an EV or are maybe new to EVs, it is probably their biggest worry. You don’t have to select that poll option if it is not a factor.

As mentioned, this is a straw poll. Not scientific.

 

[Edd Beesley]

Yes, missed my exit on the M6, didn’t have enough spare to get to the next rapid, tortoised to a halt about a mile away from Birmingham airport. Couple of hours on the hard shoulder before recovery truck got me to the charger. Very annoying.

 

[b789pilot]

Yes, missed my exit on the M6, didn’t have enough spare to get to the next rapid, tortoised to a halt about a mile away from Birmingham airport. Couple of hours on the hard shoulder before recovery truck got me to the charger. Very annoying.

Just out of interest, were there no Fast chargers you could have made it to, after missing your exit, in order to make it to the Rapid?

Also, how new or not were you to EVs when this happened?

 

[Kiltox]

Ran out of fuel in an ICE once - mk3 Golf which doesn’t have a fuel warning light, as I now know.

 

[proddick]

I think this was more common when "keen" people where trying to do long journeys in short range BEVs like my trip below in the old Zoe. Most of those are now in use for commuting or 2nd car use, with early adopters now in longer range BEVs. Shorter range ones will still sell (like Mini and Honda) but probably won't be taken on long journeys - buyers will have an ICE of maybe a Tesla or similar for those

Zoe Chargemaster Experience Week

I currently have a Zoe 22kWh (I was expecting a 40kWh!) for a week and am doing a blog. My experience may be useful for someone thinking about getting one. However, having driven EVs for a while in UK and USA my approach may differ from a newbie ;) Zoe Experience Week

www.speakev.com

 

[Edd Beesley]

Just out of interest, we’re there no Fast chargers you could have made it to, after missing your exit, in order to make it to the Rapid?

Also, how new or not were you to EVs when this happened?

I’ve been driving plugins since 2010, got the Leaf in 2014 and this event must have been late 2014 or early 2015. There were no fast chargers nearby then and the only rapid chargers were the ecotricity ones. I’ve always planned my routes with no slack/plan B, as with the Leaf 24 you’ll really get nowhere if you always keep some miles in reserve!

 

[EdH]

I've never run out of juice in an EV and I've never worried about it. (should have been an option in the poll).

 

[Voodoochill]

Coasted into Pease Pottage servivces with less than a mile showing, on my way from Southampton to Gatwick in Leaf 24kW (after scheduled chargers both plan A and plan B on the way were out of use)

 

[Neilew]

Not ran out of juice, but in 2016 was stymied by an Ecotricity charger causing my Zoe to BCI (Battery Charging Impossible) at a rapid (using 22 kW) at Charnock Richard on our first long journey. Had to be flat bedded back to the dealer.

Caveat: I now know that Zoe should use the AC posts (free with RFID) and not the AC on the rapids at Charnock. I also now know that BCI can be 'fixed' by opening and then closing the doors and waiting 5 minutes. We live and learn.

 

[Kong]

I ran out of juice on porpuse... like an experiment...

 

[b789pilot]

Interesting that already we see that three times as many people have run out of 'juice' in an ICE than a BEV even though most people on this site will be BEV owners or drivers.

 

[cdlb]

Ran out of fuel in an ICE once. That was the day that we found out that the fuel tank had a hole in it.

 

[ColA]

I wonder how many people carry a spare can of petrol in the boot. Can’t do that in an EV unfortunately.

 

[Neilew]

I wonder how many people carry a spare can of petrol in the boot. Can’t do that in an EV unfortunately.

Back in the early days, (I'm 67) went everywhere with a spare can in the boot (that's how we never ran out in the topical sense). After sometime in the 80s didn't bother with a spare as we became aware of the weight hurting fuel economy and the greater likelihood of not being far enough for a petrol station to have range anxiety (oh yes, it did exist, for a newly married 20 something on £7 a week as an SAC and don't ask how we managed when daughter came along a year later).

 

[Sandy]

Twice in ICE and Twice in EV.

First time ICE, parked on a steep road, technically had fuel but sloshed to side of tank away from pump, car wouldn't start until a gallon added. Second time in a Classic Triumph Spitfire where gauge reported quarter of a tank, it was empty spluttered to a halt about 1 mile away from petrol station

First time in EV was Zoe, had had a couple of close shaves over the years then in final year of ownership (last Fireworks night), charger blocked at destination meaning a slow drive home, ran out miles from home but only 2 miles from a charger. Stop/restarting got me to within 200ft of charger where I finally needed a push. Summer this year I ran out in the MG, head wind and a banging head ache were what let me down. MG powered through the headwind like it wasn't there, my headache meant I wasn't paying sufficient attention to mpkwh, ran out 6miles from home, MG doesn't do stop/start trick so had to get a flatbed (my first time ever).

 

[Hilltop Dave]

Once ran our of diesel in a hired van as there was less range after the fuel gauge hit empty than I was expecting. AA to the rescue.

Twice nearly ran out of electrons on my Leaf, the first time saved by a caravan park in Llangollen where I was able to couple up to a caravan hook-up point (via the granny lead and a 16A-13A adaptor that I always carry) and the second time I assumed the charging point would be at the A55 services marked on my map, when in fact it was about 10 miles before - by the time I got back to the Rapid and hooked up the %SOC had gone to --- and the Rapid said 0% charge as the charge started.

 

[Aragorn]

few close shaves but never actually run out in either type of vehicle. Most ICE these days have quite a bit left after the guage shows "0 miles". I've done 15+ motorway miles in our A4 with the gauge showing 0.

 

[Woodulike]

I've been close in an Audi as well, about 10 miles to the msa after the miles remaining hit 0.

I've run out twice in an ICE that I remember, in cars with inaccurate fuel gauges.
I've run out twice in EVs too. With my first EV I ran the Leaf until it stopped near home on purpose to see how far I could push things.
Second time I was less than a mile from home in the Niro and I was hoping there was a buffer after 0. There wasn't much, it stopped quite quickly after 0 miles.