What Happens When Your EV Runs Out of Power?

Assuage your EV fears of running out of power by reading about what happens if your EV runs out of power.

If you’ve never owned an electric vehicle (EV) before, there may be a few fears that you might have about being out on the road — the most common of which is range anxiety.

Range anxiety, or a person’s fear of running out of power while driving an EV, is one of the top reasons why many drivers are deterred from making the switch to electric. In fact, in a study done by Volvo in 2019, 58% of drivers cited “running out of power” as the main barrier to purchasing an EV. This, combined with the secondary result of 49% of drivers concerned by “low availability of charging stations,” results in a lot of potential curious, yet cautious drivers.

For a driver who is new to the world of EVs, range anxiety can be a very real concern. EVs are still relatively new and are only now starting to become more commonplace. Drivers may think that there’s still a long way to go with EV technology.

However, the reality of the industry is that it is continually growing in leaps and bounds. As of 2020, three times as many EVs were registered to drivers in the U.S., adding up to about 1.8 million vehicles in total. EV batteries are also getting bigger, more technologically advanced and can handle longer distances. The U.S.’s EV charging infrastructure is growing thanks to the American Jobs Plan.

As an added bonus, a recent survey by Green Car Reports found that among EV owners, 95% had never run out of range while driving. Furthermore, 77% no longer became concerned about it after their purchase. This all probably has to do with the number of safeguards an EV has before running out of battery.

In the off-chance that these statistics weren’t enough to quell your EV fears, let’s discuss what you can do if your EV ever runs out of charge on you.

What happens when my battery charge gets close to zero?

When your EV is starting to die down, you’ll be well aware of its condition.

EVs don’t just suddenly shut down like a gas vehicle might. As your battery gets closer and closer to hitting zero, your vehicle will bombard you with warning messages persuading you to go to the nearest EV charging station. Modern EVs usually give you a good estimate of how far it can go on its remaining power.

If you happen to be stuck on a highway with no charging station in sight, your EV will conserve the amount of energy it uses to move you to a safe location off the road before shutting off completely.

In most cases, these alerts will give you enough warning to start planning your trip to the closest charging station and your next steps.

What happens when my EV hits 0% charge?

Did you know that AAA used to have a fleet of EV charging trucks back in 2011? Although they’ve since been retired due to lack of use, major automobile companies have been thinking of ways to accommodate their EV drivers ever since the beginning. Though this fleet is no longer available, there are other lifelines in place including:

EV towing to a charging station

What would you do when your gas-powered car runs out of fuel on the side of the road? Most drivers would call AAA, who could then either tow your vehicle to a gas station or bring you some fuel.

The same line of thinking works for EVs. AAA will gladly tow your EV to the nearest charging station to ensure that you’ll be able to get on your way.

Bringing electricity to your EV

One of the more promising developments in the EV sector to quell range anxiety are startups like SparkCharge, which bring the charging to you.

Similar to AAA’s retired fleet of EV charging trucks, Sparkcharge brings a portable charger to your EV, making sure that you’ll get back on the road in a jiffy. Other companies, like Freewire, are making similar moves by developing powerful portable chargers that can also be called upon if you’re out of power.

As the demand for EVs grows, further advancements in charging technology will catch up to it.

Cure your range anxiety with Webasto

It’s important to keep your EV running at an optimal charge to preserve its battery over time.

Take the best care of your vehicle by installing Webasto’s charging stations in a location near you. Whether it's at home or at your workplace, Webasto’s charging stations can assure you that you won’t need to call AAA from the side of the road anytime soon. Don’t let range anxiety keep you from trying something new.

For more information about Webasto’s services, visit our website and contact us today.