Almost every driver is familiar with the feeling of looking down, seeing the amount of gas left in their tank, and panicking.
While experts advise against running one’s car until the last drop of gasoline, sometimes, drivers have no choice but to keep going after that little light comes on, crossing their fingers that they’ll be able to make it to a gas station in time before their fuel truly runs out.
In a gasoline-powered car, this is a relatively safe bet. According to Wilsons.co.uk, the average car can drive 49 additional miles after their fuel light comes on. This makes sense, as the fuel light tends to come on after the car’s fuel tank has been reduced to 10 to 15% of its capacity.
However, for electric cars, it’s a different story, as one driver recently learned.
Why did this Tesla driver need to get a tow truck to the recharging station?
In a video with over 95,000 views, TikTok user Caro (@carodd) shows a Tesla being towed into a charging station.
“Nothing more embarrassing than pulling up to a Tesla charger in a tow truck,” she writes in the text overlaying the video.
In the caption, she adds, “Cut it a little too close this time!”
Caro isn’t the first to share a story about a Tesla not quite making it to the charging station. Last year, a video showing a Tesla running out of power in a McDonald’s drive-thru went viral.
That said, it’s relatively difficult to accidentally run one’s Tesla battery to zero.
While a car may be able to drive a considerable distance on an empty tank, this is not the case for an empty battery. That’s why Tesla vehicles provide drivers with a variety of notifications about how much further they can drive before the battery runs out, as well as offering them a list of nearby charging locations.
@carodd Cut it a little too close this time! #tesla #fyp ♬ Riding Low N Slow – South Bay Visions
Some commenters aren’t sympathetic
Given how many notifications these cars provide about their power usage, some commenters didn’t offer their support for Caro and her plight.
“Same as not planning your trip in a gas car and running out of fuel, getting [towed] to a gas station? just plan your trip mate. tesla does it for you,” said a commenter.
“The suggested percentage to stop wyd and charge is 20% and I guarantee you…that was someone renting the car,” offered another. “See it all the time.”
That said, some claimed that this was relatively common.
“Right! I had elderly people rooting and cheering when the tow truck let me down,” stated a user.
“This has been me several times,” admitted a second.
The Daily Dot reached out to Caro via Instagram and TikTok DM, and to Tesla via email.
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