Out of gas - electric only

I managed to run the Prius out of fuel on my way to pick up Lucia from daycare. I had about 1 mile left and had been going up a pretty long hill when it happened just about 300ft from the top. I made it there and coasted down the other side, regenerating as much as I could but as I merged with the freeway it was jammed so I had to slow down to a crawl. Ironically the Prius looses energy standing still so that was less than ideal, but it was downhill. I knew there was a gas station past the Daycare and decided to give it a try. This gas station is located at the bottom of a long steep hill so I knew if I could make it to the crest of this hill I would be saved. As the exit neared, traffic sped up and I gained momentum and confidence. Unfortunately there was an intersection with a stop sign I had to go through, I had to break but there was no cars so I decided to sail through and started the last 500m/1500ft slightly uphill section before the big downhill with only one (1) bar left on the battery indicator. It wasnt enough. With only 200m(600ft) left the electric motor gave out and I came to a stop. I called the daycare and Nick showed up minutes later with a can of gas. I am so thankful for his assistance and with a few drops in the tank I made it:

It was a great learning experience though. The Prius actually has a lot less electric energy available than I imagined. It functions a lot like the KERS system known in Formula 1 and is designed to give you a boost, but not run the car over longer distances. I believe there was a lot more energy in the batteries but perhaps the electronic systems kept me from accessing these. That said I'm super happy I was able to go as far as I did, with a regular car I would have had no few options than to stop the car where it ran out, with the Prius the extra battery presented a lot of options as where to eventually stop the car.