Insurance company RAC has announced it has deployed an electric roadside assistance van to help stranded EV drivers in Perth.
The dedicated service, which is available to all RAC roadside assistance members in the metropolitan area, is part of a trial to test the capabilities of electric roadside assistance vans as well as provide a mobile battery top-up service for EV drivers who run out of charge.
Will Gosby, General Manager of External Relations at RAC, said while they are seeing increasing interest in EVs across WA, one of the biggest concerns continues to be access to charging infrastructure.
“The new electric roadside assistance van is equipped with a mobile charger that can top up an EV battery that’s gone flat.
“This trial will help us understand the realities of using fully electric vehicles as part of our roadside assistance fleet, so we can start planning to add more in the years to come.”
The EV mobile charger can provide 15km of range in around 20 minutes – enough to get the driver to the nearest charging destination across the metropolitan area.
John Williams, Roadside Assistance Patrol for RAC, is one of two patrols involved in the new service and said that their aim is get motorists back on the road as quickly and smoothly as possible.
“It’s so exciting to be part of this trial, because we’re at the forefront of change – supporting those motorists making the early switch to electric.”
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