The RAC has further cemented its position as the number-one for EV breakdowns by signing an exclusivity agreement with the British manufacturer of its pioneering EV Boost technology – the modern-day equivalent of a fuel can for electric cars.
The RAC worked with specialist engineering company Original ADSto design and develop the lightweight and compact van-mounted charger capable of getting ‘flat’ EVs to the nearest working charge-point or home rather than having to be picked up and recovered on a flatbed truck.
The deal, which means the RAC is now the only breakdown company in the UK able to assist customers with this technology, will see dozens more RAC patrol vans fitted with EV Boost units in the coming months, giving more drivers the confidence to make the switch to electric.
RAC EV Boost was launched as a 3.5kW charger in April 2019 and with two years of use in the field, the RAC and Original ADS have succeeded in producing a new 5kW unit capable of faster charging, speeding up the time it takes to revive a flat – or seriously depleted – EV at the roadside.
Development work is also underway to perfect the 7.5kW charger which the RAC and Original ADS believe will offer the best possible balance of cost, efficiency and charging time at the roadside. As a result of the exclusivity agreement the RAC plans to have 200 vans equipped to boost out-of-charge EVs by the end of 2021, with a further 120 coming online in 2022 – meaning one in every five RAC patrols vans will be able to give electric vehicles an emergency roadside boost.
Powered by a generator driven by the van’s engine and weighing just 35kg, RAC EV Boost is a significant development in EV breakdown technology as it avoids the need to use bulky, heavy and impractical portable batteries.
At the size of a shoe box, EV Boost only takes up a small amount of space in a standard RAC van which is equipped with the 500 parts and tools needed for patrols to fix four out of five breakdowns they attend.
RAC chief operations director James Knight said, “We were very proud to be the first breakdown company to launch a solution at scale to help out-of-charge EV drivers, and we’re even more delighted to be the only roadside assistance company in the UK that can use this pioneering British-designed technology.