AAA Announced this week their going to have trucks with mobile charging stations. This is in response to the EV anxiety for people with battery powered cars and their limited range. The Nissan leaf only gets about 100 mpg, that doesn’t leave much room for error when keeping your car charged and going on drives and having to stay under the 100 mile range.
AAA is starting this program in certain cities right now. The cities are Seattle; the San Francisco Bay Area; Los Angeles; Knoxville, Tenn.; the Tampa Bay Area; and Portland, Ore. AAA has seen a rise in demand for this service due to the rise in electric cars being bought. I think this is a step in the right direction for a good selling point if you have a EV powered vehicle and to keep your mind at ease while on long trips.
AAA will have two types of chargers on their trucks. A stage 2 and stage 3 charger. These chargers operate faster than your home 110 volt charger. With a 10-15 charge you will get about 3-15 miles range on your driving; obviously depending on what vehicle your driving. This is usually enough range to get you to a charging station or a gas station depending on what kind of car your driving.
I’m not sure about you but I have AAA for my gas car and I know that the peace of mind is enough to pay for the service. If I ever buy an electric car and this service expands into my area I will feel much better about doing my errands, trips or even driving to work. I’m sure it is just the worst feeling in the world being on the side of the road with no electrical socket in sight. It isn’t so bad with a gas car because a gas can, can fix that problem. With an electric car its a bit more complicated. I hope to see this service expanded to more cities in the near future!