‘Update?!’: Couple Takes Florida Road Trip In A Tesla. Then The Screen Says They’ll Arrive With ‘-2%’ Charge
"We literally turned all the AC off."
A couple that has never driven a Tesla documented their worry upon seeing they’d arrive at a Supercharger station with “-2%” battery power. Halie Field (@haliielfield) posted a TikTok delineating the harrowing situation.
As of this writing, it doesn’t appear that they’ve posted an update indicating whether or not they were able to make it before the car powered off, but here's what potential Tesla drivers should know about the situation.
Cutting It Close In a Tesla
Field begins her video with a recording of her and her partner seated inside their Tesla. She smiles into the camera, but a text overlay in the clip belies her happy appearance. That’s because they’re experiencing every electric-vehicle driver’s worst nightmare when they’re on a road trip: they're losing charge fast and the car’s onboard system estimates their battery will be at -2% charge by the time they reach a charger.
“Will we make it to the Tesla Supercharger? -2% arrival,” she says. “Hi guys, OK. So we are currently in our Tesla. We are on our way to a charging station.”
At this point in the video, she swings the camera around to reveal the car’s infotainment system. It appears that the couple is planning on stopping at a Clearwater, Florida Supercharger, which is 13 minutes and 12 miles away.” The TikToker then voices her doubts about reaching the charger in time due to their current charge level. “But I have no idea if we’re gonna make it. Because it says we’re going to arrive with -2%.”
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Furthermore, she explains they’re taking additional measures to ensure their vehicle is consuming the least amount of power possible. “We literally turned all the A/C off. So we’re sweating and we’ve never driven in a Tesla before. So we have no idea if it’s gonna come to a complete stop or not. So, guess we will see,” she says, before aiming the camera at her partner, who is driving. He flashes a smile to the lens before the video comes to a close.
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Does A Tesla Power Off at Zero Percent?
Folks who primarily drive internal combustion vehicles may probably know there’s a grace period when their fuel gauge bottoms out. Maybe it's because engineers know that there are human beings out there who like to live in the danger zone. Whatever the reason, many cars can typically drive a bit after their car says it’s out of gas.
According to the blog Your Motor Care, depending on the type of gas-powered car you drive, you’ll have anywhere from 40-70 miles of travel. Smaller cars tend to have smaller fuel tanks and, consequently, short range estimates. Furthermore, driving habits also play a large role. Higher speeds tend to burn fuel at a faster rate. So reducing your speed and maintaining it until you can fuel up will help drivers get to where they’re going without getting stranded.
It appears that Teslas also come with similar functionality. InsideEVs previously wrote about a Tesla Model S driver showing what happened to their car after its battery was out of juice. Like gas-powered rides, it too had a buffer. An assessment of a Model 3 conducted by CarMax also corroborates this. The car seller put a driver out on the open road with a singular mission in mind: push it till the battery runs out and see what happens.
Low Power Mode at 0% Battery
After the car’s infotainment system indicated the driver hit zero percent, the vehicle didn’t come to a complete stop. Instead, a series of warning lights popped up on the brand’s large touchscreen, letting them know that the car entered low power mode.
Furthermore, the driver said that the Tesla’s speed was capped at 40 mph. Another alert notified him that the vehicle would soon be “unable to drive” due to the low battery level and that he should plan his next charge. However, he was still able to accelerate, albeit at a top speed of 40 mph.
As he continued to drive, yet another warning appeared on the Tesla’s screen. It indicated that if the car’s battery wasn’t powered up soon, the driver could potentially damage its battery. Ultimately, the car did finally stop driving, but he was able to travel 11 miles after it had dipped past 0%.
Judging by the distance Field and her partner had to reach the Supercharger, there’s a good chance they were able to make it. That’s because they still had charge left on the car’s battery and had 12 miles to go.
Another Tesla owner on the Tesla Motors Club forum shared the results of their own battery depletion endeavor. According to them, their EV was able to drive for approximately 12.8 miles at 25 miles per hour. Moreover, they didn’t drive it until the car completely shut down, presumably in an attempt to prevent any potential damage to the car’s massive lithium-ion power pack.
One Redditor shared a picture of Tesla at 1% with a 2.5-mile commute to a supercharger. They seemed to be confident they’d make it to the station, as a caption on the image read: “lol we got this.”
A user who replied to their post said they were able to drive five miles after hitting 0% on their car.
Commenters Sound Off
It seems that several folks who replied to Field’s video seemed confident they would arrive at the charger. “You will make it, Tesla has a buffer,” one penned.
Someone else recommended that they utilize the vehicle’s power redistribution system to their advantage. “I would try getting off the highway if you can and let regenerative braking boost your battery maybe 4%,” they wrote.
Another seemed to have experience with a depleted-battery EV hitting low power mode. “Did it make you slow down yet? If not, you've got a few miles to go,” they said.
Whereas someone else suggested they reduce their speed: “Your driving too fast slow down and you will make it if you go 40 miles per hour.”
InsideEVs has reached out to Field via TikTok comment for further information.
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