Car lost all electrical while driving

You should be able to take the regulator right out of the circuit and the car will continue to run on battery power. The regulator can fail in the full-fielded position and the voltage could rise to 20 at the battery, but the car will continue to run. If you catch this condition, you can pull the regulator plug and drive for many hours, periodically reconnecting the regulator and topping up the battery as you go. It's kindof a PITA at night with no flashlight, but I got home.