Within the uncommon occasion that your electrical car battery reaches 0% state of cost whereas road-tripping, relaxation assured that your automotive received’t immediately come to a grinding halt in the midst of the street.
Like fuel vehicles, which all have a built-in gas buffer even when the gas gauge reads empty, EVs even have an analogous reserve within the “tank” when the displayed state of cost hits 0%.
As Kyle Conner of the Out Of Spec YouTube channel just lately demonstrated in his 2026 Tesla Mannequin 3 Premium—beforehand referred to as the Lengthy Vary rear-wheel-drive trim—the reserve vitality in some trendy EVs is fairly spectacular.

Picture by: Tesla
He took a number of steps earlier than working the Mannequin 3 till it died. He first preconditioned the battery to make sure it was good and toasty, prepared for a cost when it will die. As soon as that was performed, he drove the EV on a closed circuit for security, as working out of cost in the midst of a public street could be harmful.
The take a look at began at 5% state of cost, and the journey laptop was reset when the indicated battery proportion reached 0% to seek out out precisely how far the EV would go under that threshold. And eventually, the Mannequin 3 was pushed with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) superior driver help system activated, to see the way it handles low-battery circumstances comparable to this.
When the Mannequin 3’s display screen confirmed a 0% state of cost, it nonetheless displayed 2 miles of vary remaining. However here is the sudden half: As soon as the displayed remaining vary was 0 miles, the Mannequin 3 continued driving for an additional 31 miles. After hitting 0%, the Mannequin 3 consumed almost 6 kilowatt-hours of electrical energy, proving that Tesla leaves an enormous buffer for emergencies.
The Premium trim is already one of many longest-range electrical sedans cash should purchase, with 363 miles of EPA vary.
It coated that distance with a powerful effectivity of 192.5 watt-hours per mile, which interprets to roughly 5 miles per kWh. FSD then requested the motive force to take over and steadily stopped the automotive, displaying warnings on the display screen that the car was about to close down.
Not all EVs may have a equally giant buffer, however all automakers guarantee there’s some vitality remaining when the cluster reads 0% state of cost, giving homeowners just a few additional miles of vary to succeed in the following charging station.
Nonetheless, you need to attempt to not depend on the reserve battery vitality—partly as a result of it is best follow for battery well being to not discharge a automotive all the best way to empty. Planning forward and understanding your charging stops is at all times advisable. However within the uncommon occasion that you just do end up in a sticky state of affairs, know that the additional juice within the pack may have your again if you want it essentially the most.
Contact the creator: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
