Chargers are used to help stranded motorists that have run out of charge

The RAC has started rolling out quicker emergency EV chargers to help stranded electric car drivers get on the move faster. 

The breakdown service was the first to launch an engine-powered EV charger to its vans, helping electric car drivers that had run out of charge. Because all four wheels of an EV need to be off the ground when it’s towed (as otherwise it will harm the motor), stranded electric motorists previously had to have a low loader take them to a nearby charger. 

The RAC launched its ‘EV Boost’ with a 3.5kW charging speed, though this isn’t much quicker than charging a car with a three-pin socket – a very slow process. However, the latest chargers can now charge at 5kW, meaning around 10 miles can be added in 30 minutes in a typical EV – enough to get a driver to a nearby public charger. 

By the end of the year the RAC hopes to have 200 vans equipped with the EV Boost technology, with this equating to around a fifth of the breakdown firm’s patrol vans. The charging speed is set to improve further too, with work underway to get the units up to 7.5kW. 

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.”

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