Whose dumb idea was this? Intentionally running out of battery charge in another electric car? Well, mine, actually, but it’s all for you. After all, how do you face your fears? Square up and tackle them head on. If range anxiety causes you sleepless nights, let’s just see what happens when you hit zero in a Volkswagen ID4.
Features editor Scott Evans was the first to execute a similar feat in a Rivian R1T (November), and I hoped my battery-draining journey would go much smoother. It would at least be cooler and more scenic, as I targeted my zero percent dead-end to be somewhere north of Malibu.
Roll Out
Our caravan, consisting of the 2022 VW ID4 and a traffic-cone-colored long-term Toyota Tundra with photographers and snacks on board, left MotorTrend HQ in El Segundo, California, around 11 a.m., with the VW’s 82-kWh battery showing 20 percent state of charge (SOC) and about 45 miles of driving range remaining.
Our intention was to hit zero near the Naval Air Station at Point
