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5kW RAC EV Boost chargers will speed up time it takes to
get ‘flat’ EVs going again
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RAC on track to have one-in-five patrol vans equipped with
emergency electric charging capability by end of the year,
supporting drivers in switching to EVs
Three years after launching the breakdown industry’s first
engine-powered emergency charger for electric cars the RAC has
begun rolling out a faster version so that its patrols can get
electric car drivers moving again even more quickly.
The modern-day equivalent of a fuel can for electric cars,
RAC EV Boost has been
uprated from 3.5kW to 5kW to increase the speed of charge for
members who either run out of charge or encounter faulty charge
points. The new charger is capable of adding around 10 miles of
range in around 30 minutes or less.
Last May the RAC further underlined its position as the
number-one for EV breakdown cover by signing an exclusivity
agreement with the specialist engineering company that designed
and developed the lightweight and compact RAC EV Boost charger
which weighs just 35kg. Shrewsbury-basedOriginal ADS and the RAC
have since won a host of awards for the charger including Best
Use of Technology at the Motor Transport Awards 2021 and Best
Product Development Innovation in the UK Business and Innovation
Awards 2022.
The RAC is now on track to have 200 RAC vans – around a fifth of
its patrol fleet – fitted with EV Boost chargers by the end of
the year with as many as 130 of those being the new faster 5kW
units. Importantly, the unit avoids the need for breakdown vans
having to carry heavy and bulky batteries that have to be
re-charged after every use, or having to put the out-of-charge
vehicle on to a flatbed recovery truck in order to take it a
short distance to a charge point.
Now having succeeded in producing the new 5kW RAC EV Boost unit
work is underway on perfecting a 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.
RAC chief operations director Paul Coulton said: “Having been the
first breakdown company to come up with a practical and efficient
solution to giving an emergency charge to a flat EV and being the
only roadside assistance company in the UK that can use this
pioneering British-designed technology, we’re really excited to
be speeding up the charger to 5kW so we can save members even
more time. And we aren’t stopping there as a 7.5kW version is our
next target.
“While we’ve put the UK’s first electric
breakdown van into service in the form of a Renault Zoe,
there isn’t currently an electric van on the market that can do
everything that a diesel-powered one can in terms of towing
broken-down vehicles and carrying 500 tools and parts. So, even
though we’re using a diesel van to recharge an electric car,
we’re confident it’s faster, more efficient and better for the
planet than having to send a big flatbed recovery vehicle or a
van full of batteries.
“This is also why our emergency mobile chargers had to be
compact. At the size of a shoe box and weighing just 35kg, RAC EV
Boost only takes up a small amount of space in a standard orange
breakdown van.
“And, if a member breaks down in an EV for another reason our
patrols have more unique equipment in their vans to help. If they
can’t fix the fault there and then, they can tow it themselves
with our All-Wheels-Up rapid recovery system meaning there’s no
need to wait for a tow truck. It’s like having a flatbed in the
back of an RAC van.
“These two breakthrough RAC innovations mean we’re
perfectly placed to help any EV driver, whatever problem they
might encounter on the road or at home. This should give drivers
the confidence to make the switch to electric.
