RAC launch mobile electric car-charging service to help stranded motorists
It's been revealed that the RAC has developed a mobile electric car-charger.
The lightweight charging system, which will be fitted to a fleet of transit vans, will provide a broken down vehicle with enough charge to allow them to reach the nearest charging point.
The system will be rolled out across Birmingham, London and Manchester in June.
The portable charger was developed by the RAC in conjunction with another company called Original Ltd, who are in the engineering industry.
The portable system operates via a Euro 6 diesel van, and will charge type 1 and type 2 electric car chargers, which means that almost every electric vehicle which is operational on UK roads will be covered.
One of the major issues aurrounding electric cars and vans is that many of the vehicles cannot be towed without damaging the electric motor. Therefore, If an electric car runs out of range, invariably it may not be able to be moved without the aid of a flat-bed truck to lift the vehicle, thus potentially creating congestion and road-blockages.
RAC spokesman Tim Hartles said: “As the electric vehicle market develops, the need for a mobile transportable energy source is becoming more important, not only to reduce ‘range anxiety’, but also to provide temporary cost-effective power for electric cars. Whether it’s at the side of a road in an emergency, or in a car showroom, portable power that is flexible, available and mobile is very much in demand so we wanted to invest in the required technology to make sure the RAC was completely ready to meet this need.
“By adding an EVRESCUE unit to a fully-equipped RAC van, a stranded electric vehicle will no longer require recovery after running out of energy as we will simply be able to give the vehicle a quick charge to get it going again. As well as the obvious cost savings this new solution brings, it enables fleets and businesses to make EV choices when purchasing. He added: “If this pilot scheme is successful we will look to add EVRESCUE charging systems to more patrol vehicles in busy urban areas just as we have done with our 10 new mobile tyre-fitting vans which have been introduced to cope with the ever-increasing ‘puncture no spare’ issue. “To that end we are in discussions with other progressive local authorities around the UK – including Scotland – to extend the reach of the trial.” The UK has more than 5,000 public car charging points – most of which take more than four hours to charge a battery. Only 220 of these, however, are fast chargers, which can fully recharge a battery in about 20 minutes.
Image Source: RAC
