They didn’t want to stop and told me to keep going, saying they’d take full responsibility if we ran out of power. We actually made it. Luckily, a big snowstorm hit, so I had to drive slowly, which helped us stretch the range.
That’s wild. Closest I got was about 10 miles, and that was stressful enough. I don’t usually have to charge on the road, but a couple weeks ago I realized I’d be 3 miles short. Ended up stopping at 20% to charge, answered a few emails in 8 minutes, and got 46 miles. You should’ve stopped for at least a few minutes instead of risking a tow in a snowstorm.
Has anyone here actually run out of power on the road? I want to hear those stories.
Morgan said:
Has anyone here actually run out of power on the road? I want to hear those stories.
Came super close last week. Long road trip through a rural area with barely any chargers. It was freezing, and I was only getting 1.3 mi/kWh. By the time I reached my exit, my battery was at 0%. I had my two kids with me, and I was freaking out. Thankfully, I could see the green glow of an Electrify America charger about 100 yards ahead. I didn’t even stop at the stop sign—just coasted through because I wasn’t sure if it would move again. Pulled in and let out the biggest sigh of relief. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have made it another 50 feet.
Morgan said:
Has anyone here actually run out of power on the road? I want to hear those stories.
Yeah, I’ve done it. When the truck’s about to die, you’ll know. Power drops big time, you get a ‘reduced power’ warning, and then it just refuses to move. It’ll still roll in neutral, though, so you can push it if needed. Avoid going below 1% if you can.
Morgan said:
Has anyone here actually run out of power on the road? I want to hear those stories.
Yep, had to push mine a whole block to a Level 2 charger with my kids in the truck. I was in rural Kansas where fast chargers are rare. I drove past one earlier, but the truck said I’d be fine with 5%. Got into town at 2%, and it cut power right at a red light. Tried everything to get even a little bit of power back, but nothing. After sitting there for a couple of green light cycles, some guys offered to help push. We got it rolling, and just as we cleared the intersection, the truck gave me a tiny bit of power—just enough to crawl to the charger. Charged for 45 minutes, then made it to a fast charger a few miles away. Things are better now since we have more chargers than last year, but that was rough.
Morgan said:
Has anyone here actually run out of power on the road? I want to hear those stories.
Yeah, people have definitely run out before. Just search the forum, and you’ll find a bunch of stories. Ford doesn’t give you a safety buffer like some brands—when it says 0%, it really means zero. You get plenty of warnings, though, so usually, running out means you were pushing your luck.
@Wendell
I almost got stuck when a cold front hit early while trying to make it into Amarillo. That was nerve-wracking.
Morgan said:
Has anyone here actually run out of power on the road? I want to hear those stories.
If you’re curious what happens when the truck dies, there are YouTube videos showing exactly that. The Out of Spec Motoring channel did a 1,000-mile road trip where they ran two Lightnings side by side, testing Tesla Superchargers vs CCS chargers. One of them ran out of power. You can see it around 1:48:00 in this video: https://youtu.be/0hom6soosis
Morgan said:
Has anyone here actually run out of power on the road? I want to hear those stories.
Happened to me while towing my trailer home. My house was 43 miles away, and the truck said I had 46 miles of range, so I figured I’d make it. Battery hit 0% just as I backed into my driveway. The stress wasn’t worth it—I won’t try that again. Not sure if it’s bad for the battery, but I’m not taking chances.
Hope you had a place to charge when you got there!
That was a risky move.
That’s cutting it way too close… also not great for the battery long-term.
Doesn’t this mess up the battery cells?