Sans essence, nous n’irons pas loin, donc nous nous arrêtons à la station-service avant le péage.

No. In French, essence usually means petrol / gas in this kind of context. It is a false friend for English speakers, because English essence usually means the basic nature of something, or a concentrated flavor/scent.

So in Sans essence, the meaning is Without gas / Without petrol.

After sans (without), French usually does not use an article before a general, uncountable noun.

So:

• sans essence = without gas
• sans argent = without money
• sans eau = without water

Using de l’essence here would sound unnatural in standard French.

Nous n’irons pas is the future simple of aller in the negative.

Breakdown:

• nous irons = we will go
• nous n’irons pas = we will not go

The verb aller is irregular in the future:

• j’irai
• tu iras
• il/elle ira
• nous irons
• vous irez
• ils/elles iront

So nous n’irons pas loin means we won’t go far.

Also, n’ is just ne shortened before a vowel:

• ne irons becomes n’irons

Loin means far. In this sentence, it works like an adverb.

So:

• aller loin = to go far
• ne pas aller loin = not to go far

In nous n’irons pas loin, loin describes how far they will go.

Donc means so, therefore, or thus.

It connects the two ideas:

• Sans essence, nous n’irons pas loin = Without gas, we won’t go far
• donc = so / therefore
• nous nous arrêtons... = we’re stopping...

So it shows a logical consequence.

Because s’arrêter is a reflexive verb.

The full verb is:

• s’arrêter = to stop / to stop oneself

When you conjugate it, you need:

1. the subject pronoun
2. the reflexive pronoun

So:

• nous nous arrêtons
  • first nous = we
  • second nous = ourselves

Literally, it is something like we stop ourselves, but in natural English it is just we stop or we’re stopping.

Other forms:

• je m’arrête
• tu t’arrêtes
• il s’arrête
• nous nous arrêtons
• vous vous arrêtez
• ils s’arrêtent

French can mix tenses like this when the meaning is natural.

Here, the first clause states a future result:

• nous n’irons pas loin = we won’t go far

Then the second clause gives the action being taken now or as an immediate plan:

• nous nous arrêtons = we’re stopping / we stop

So the present tense can sound like:

• a current decision
• an immediate action
• a vivid, natural way to describe what happens next

French often uses the present where English might also say we’re stopping.

The preposition à is used because they are stopping at a place.

• s’arrêter à = to stop at

So:

• nous nous arrêtons à la station-service = we’re stopping at the gas station

Station-service is the normal French word for gas station / petrol station.

It is feminine:

• la station-service

Because it is a fixed compound noun in French.

French often uses hyphens in compound nouns, and station-service is the standard spelling for gas station / service station.

You should just learn it as one unit:

• une station-service
• la station-service

Péage means toll. Depending on context, it can refer to:

• the toll itself
• the toll booth
• the toll gate / toll plaza area

So:

• avant le péage = before the toll / before the toll booth

In a road-trip context, it usually means the place where you pay to continue on a toll road.

Because avant is followed directly by a noun phrase:

• avant le péage = before the toll booth / before the toll area

You use de after avant when it is followed by a verb:

• avant de partir = before leaving
• avant de payer = before paying

But with a noun, you just say:

• avant + noun
• avant le péage

So:

• avant le péage = correct
• avant du péage = incorrect here

Not by itself. It is a short prepositional phrase meaning without gas.

The full sentence begins with that phrase to set the situation:

• Sans essence, ...
• Without gas, ...

French often starts sentences this way for context. It is concise and very natural. The main clause comes after it:

• nous n’irons pas loin = we won’t go far

So Sans essence is not a full sentence on its own here, but it works perfectly as an introductory phrase.