RAC adds more emergency chargers to electric patrol vans

The RAC is adding more van-mounted chargers 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 company says dozens more patrol vans will be fitted with EV Boost units in the coming months following a successful trial.

RAC van (Ford Transit) patrolman rescuing a Renault Zoe with charge cable

Patrols will charge cars at 5kW using diesel power

RAC EV Boost was launched with 3.5kW chargers – the same output as some home charge units - in April 2019. Now with two years of use in the field, the RAC is introducing a new 5kW unit capable of faster charging, speeding up the time it takes to revive a flat or seriously depleted electric car at the roadside.

Development work is also underway to perfect a 7.5kW charger which the RAC believe will offer the best possible balance of cost, efficiency and charging time at the roadside.

RAC van built in charge unit for electric cars

The charger is mounted inside the van and is designed to give a 'get you home' top up

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.The chargers work by taking power from a generator connected to the van’s diesel engine.