What if it’s not the 12v battery that goes flat but the main battery pack? This is a fairly rare occurrence (as the car will likely be equipped with countless warnings and a “limp home” mode), but if it does happen, it creates a slightly trickier situation, as jump-starting is no longer an option. An electric car with a completely depleted battery only has three options: being taken away by a tow truck, mobile charging, or bidirectional charging.

The first one is pretty self-explanatory – the car needs to be towed away to a charging station (best case) or a service center to check for battery pack damage prior to being recharged. The second is only available in some areas (in some parts of the US, services are available to bring a mobile charging system to your car’s location and charge it on the spot).

The third option, bidirectional charging, is a relatively new feature not yet available on all EV models but becoming increasingly common, which consists of connecting two vehicles to share the charge from one battery. Some electric vehicles, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning, have the capability to act as a charging station for other electric cars.