Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

reserve capacity

American  

noun

Automotive.
  1. the capacity of a battery, measured in minutes, to keep a vehicle operating if the charging system fails.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There was still enough reserve capacity in most regions to keep the lights on.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Because the TV provider operates its own closed network in a given geographic location, it can engineer and reserve capacity for TV delivery in advance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

In its plan for meeting the 2030 clean energy target published last month, the government committed to keeping a reserve capacity of gas power stations for this purpose.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2025

But executives at the Southeast utilities say their reserve capacity contributes to their higher scores in a national assessment of reliability — an increasing concern as climate change produces more extreme weather events.

From New York Times • Dec. 20, 2022

Like all great athletes, his triumphs seemed to be won without calling upon his reserve capacity, and therefore with much less apparent effort than shown by his rivals.

From Deerfoot in The Mountains by Davis, John Steeple