Adapting Roadside Assistance To The Electric Vehicle

As we move from the internal combustion engine to electric equivalents, there is a real need for Roadside Assistance providers to be trained, with investment on new equipment.

Fleet Europe wrote an article relating to the desire of company fleet owners, who want to contribute to lower emissions and are buying more Electric Vehicles. It raises the challenge to offer roadside assistance for these as well as traditional vehicle types.

VAB is a service provider in Belgium and the Business to Business manager Koen Snoeys, he states that currently both the traditional 12v battery and those used to drive an electric vehicle now have to be provided for within their recovery vans.

However he does make a point, that in these early days new business owners, seem to be very aware of the limited mileage and coverage these vehicle can do without a recharge, so there initially appears to little issues with EVs running out of power.

The RAC has begun adding a quick charge solution to their vans, for those who do run out of power. & vans initially, but you can’t help feeling all vans in the future will have this technology.

These traction batteries work at a high voltage so there are safety issues too, before work can start on a broken down vehicle. Keith Miller, a technical manager with The AA, states that training will be occurring this year with patrols, to show how to isolate and reinstate the electric system. Towing is a different issue, so new procedures to transport vehicle has been developed, to ensure no electric motors are damaged. An example is the Nissan Leaf, where the manufacturers advice, is to lift the car onto a truck, rather than winch it on.

Chris Millward from the RAC, acknowledges’ the increase of EVS across the UK, through fleet operators and private usage and states it is critical t have a mobile power source going forward.

With the UK committing to a zero emission target in future decades, will push manufacturers quicker into development, faster charging and longer range and hopefully cheaper prices. We can only see the increase in the sales of EVs going forward each year and so roadside assistance providers need to be ready.