The end of empty battery failures on electric cars?

It is increasingly rare for electric cars to run out of battery, as shown by the latest figures.

The fear of falling empty battery failure discourages motorists from switching to electric cars. But in reality, breakdowns are becoming fewer and fewer, as the latest breakdown statistics from a British association show.

Empty battery failure, a marginal phenomenon today

This is the number one hassle for motorists: breaking down is even more unpleasant for drivers of electric cars than for those with a thermal car. Indeed, while a simple jerry can of fuel is enough to leave with a thermal car, the electric car must be towed to the nearest charging station, then be immobilized to be recharged with sufficient battery level to get back on the road.

The empty battery failure is one of the fears that dissuade motorists from buying an electric car. The latest statistics from the British AA automobile club (“Automobile Association”), which also operates a mobile roadside assistance service in the United Kingdom, tend to reassure them. During the year 2024, the organization received approximately 8,000 emergency calls every day, some of which trigger repair interventions. Only less thanone percent of cases (around 5 to 6 cases per day) concerns an electric car having broken down with an empty battery.

A very sharp decline in recent years

This figure becomes revealing when compared to previous data: according to the AA, the number of emergency calls due to empty batteries was still 2.26% in 2023, and in 2015 this figure was even 8.26%. Of course, at that time the share of electric cars on the road was of course much lower. Today, around 1.3 million 100% electric cars are registered in Great Britain, which corresponds to a rate of around 19%.

According to Edmund King, the President of the AA, several reasons led to this significant improvement : on the one hand, drivers have now learned to calculate the range of their electric car to get to a charging station before the breakdown. In addition, the number of public charging stations has also increased significantly, and finally, the latest generation of larger batteries has allowed electric cars to achieve much better ranges. The anxiety linked to the range of electric cars is therefore gradually disappearing.

In addition, the causes that cause electric cars to break down are often similar to those of thermal engines: it is often the 12 V starting battery which is responsible for the breakdowns.