Because there are dual fuel sources in a Plug-In Hybrid vehicle, you wouldn’t expect it’s possible to run out of both, but it’s easier than you think. Results can vary drastically based on your personal driving habits and how often you plug-in.
For example, my Toyota Prius Plug-In gets anywhere from 500 – 1000 miles per gas tank. If most of my driving is short local trips, it’s closer to 1,000 miles. After the gas light starts blinking, it might be 3 or 4 weeks of daily commute driving before the car actually runs out of gas.
Under those conditions recently, the “Add Fuel” message on start up and the blinking dashboard light no longer registered a conscious warning. I started out on a road trip and ran out of gas in the worst of all places, between towns in the California desert near Arizona and Nevada.
