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AAA to offer mobile EV charging trucks to ease drivers' anxiety

One of the largest stressors that owners of electric vehicles have is probably the fear of running out of power and not having a place nearby to recharge their cars. AAA is coming out with North America’s first mobile charging roadside-assistance trucks to help reduce this stress.
Posted: September 22, 2011 - 2:31PM
Author: KC Kelly

The big announcement from the American Automobile Association (AAA or Triple A) came out on Monday at the Plug-In 2011 Conference and Exposition. It was a very exciting pronouncement for many.

Getting stuck in an isolated place with no charge to propel a drained electrical car is quite often something over which EV drivers experience anticipatory anxiety. In an effort to reduce this anxiety for owners of electric vehicles AAA declared how it can help.

What AAA has said it would do is offer roadside-assistance trucks that are equipped with the capability to provide Level 2 and Level 3 charging for AAA auto club members when their EV's batteries become discharged. All it would take is a simple call from the member and in a matter of time, an AAA trucks will arrive to the driver’s location.

Once there, the readily equipped truck will be able to provide ten to fifteen minutes of charge time for the car. This amount of time should be well enough to provide an adequate amount of juice for the electric vehicle to be able to drive three to fifteen miles, according to AAA. Hopefully, this will be enough for the driver to be able to bring their EV to a charging station to top off the charge.

AAA is very happy to offer this service. Marshall L. Doney, the AAA Automotive vice president made this statement: “As the electric vehicle market continues to emerge, AAA is ready to help alleviate some range anxiety with the ability to provide a charge to electric vehicles on the roadside that gets drivers back on the go quickly.”

AAA executive John Nielsen made this statement: “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. 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.”

To start, AAA will offer a pilot program for the mobile electric-vehicle charging trucks in six metropolitan areas across the United States. These areas will be the Portland and Seattle areas; the San Francisco Bay area; Los Angeles; Knoxville, Tennessee; and the Tampa Bay area of Florida.

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