RALEIGH, N.C. – AAA has unveiled today what it says is North America’s first roadside assistance truck capable of charging electric vehicles. The motor club is able to come to the rescue of its members with “depleted” electric vehicles and provide Level 2 and Level 3 charging on the roadside.
During a news conference at the Plug-In 2011 Conference & Exposition, AAA announced it initially will deploy the trucks as a pilot program with mobile electric vehicle charging capability in six metropolitan areas across the U.S., including Portland (Ore.), Seattle, the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, Knoxville (Tenn.) and the Tampa Bay area. The phased rollout will begin later this summer and continue into the fall.
The pilot program will utilize AAA Roadside Assistance vehicles that are equipped with different technologies used to provide mobile charging capabilities to allow the motor club to evaluate multiple technologies in different environments around the country.
The AAA Roadside Assistance truck unveiled at Plug-In 2011 is powered by Green Charge Networks. It featured a removable lithium-ion battery pack for mobile charging. Other vehicles will be equipped with generators powered by alternative fuels and other power sources.
AAA says the truck is remarkably similar to the motor club’s other light services vehicles — a noted difference to mobile charging vehicles recently unveiled in other countries. Officials demonstrated how the truck is equipped to allow AAA’s technicians to provide traditional AAA Roadside Assistance capabilities to all motorists, such as battery testing, jump starts and replacements, tire changes, fuel delivery and lockout service.
“AAA’s mobile electric vehicle charging is intended to be a service similar to what AAA has provided to motorists with gas-powered vehicles for nearly a century,” said John Nielsen, AAA director of Auto Repair, Buying Services and Consumer Information during a news conference at Plug-In 2011. “When your vehicle runs out of fuel — whether it is traditional gasoline or electric ‘fuel’ — AAA can provide you with a limited amount to help you safely reach a location where you can fill up your tank or your battery.”
AAA will provide 10 to 15 minutes of charge time to members with discharged electric vehicles, which will allow the vehicle to drive three to 15 miles to a charging station where they can further charge their vehicle.
The first Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt were delivered to customers in December 2010, and manufacturers estimate production by year-end to be a combined 40,000 vehicles with an additional 145,000 planned for 2012. Current manufacturer projections have 1.2 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
