The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) has deployed its first all-electric roadside assistance patrol van that will provide electric vehicle (EV) owners with emergency roadside charging in the Perth metro region.
The van, a Mercedes-Benz eVito, is equipped with a 7 kW charger that RAC said is capable of providing stranded vehicles with 15 kilometres of charge in about 20 minutes – enough for the driver to get to the nearest charging destination in the metropolitan area.
RAC General Manager External Relations Will Golsby said the dedicated service is another step toward building confidence among current and prospective EV owners.
“While we are seeing increasing interest in EVs across WA, one of the biggest concerns continues to be access to charging infrastructure,” he said.
Golsby said the trial will also help the association to understand the realities of using EVs as part of its roadside assistance fleet, allowing it to add more in the years to come.
The South Australian Royal Automobile Association (RAA) also announced this month the launch of an emergency EV charging service for stranded drivers in the Adelaide metro area.
The launch of the new service coincided with the RAA adding an electric Peugeot E-Partner to its fleet as part of a six-month trial and will inform the associations long-term transition of its patrol fleet.
The introduction of the new mobile charging services comes as EV sales in Australia continue to accelerate with data from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) showing that EVs accounted for more than 7% of total new light vehicle sales in Australia in 2023, with more than 87,000 purchased.
The AAA EV Index published earlier this month shows sales for EVs in Australia surged in 2023, up 161.05%, or 53,807 vehicles year-on-year.
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