AAA Offering Mobile Emergency Charging for Electric Vehicles

[vsaphill]

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers: AAA has come to the rescue for people in the Seattle area who are worried about getting stuck and out of power.
The roadside assistance moto club is now equipped in the Seattle area with fast-charging mobile service to help EV owners with range anxiety.
AAA Washington joins other AAA clubs in Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles to provide level-3 roadside charging, according to the company. AAA now can assist members whose all-electric vehicles have run out of “fuel” with a fast level-3 charge at the roadside rather than towing them to a charging facility. On average, a 15-minute level-3 charge will allow an all-electric vehicle to go about 10 miles, according to the company.

AAA Washington’s mobile charging truck also is equipped to provide light-duty emergency road service, including: battery testing, jump start and replacement; unlock services; tire changes; gas delivery and minor repairs, according to AAA.

AAA Washington’s mobile charging truck is the first in the nation to have the electric vehicle charging generator powered by the power takeoff (PTO) of the truck’s engine, according to the company.

The mobile charging trucks in Oregon and California are different in that they create charging power through an on-board generator that is powered by gasoline or alternative fuels.

AAA has plans to also launch this service in Tampa Bay, Fla. and Knoxville, Tenn.

 

[LakeLeaf]

It's really nice to see this.

There was a lot of discussion about this type of capability back before the Leaf first hit the roads. Nice to see it start to come to fruition.

 

[ksnogas2112]

My old boss had a college friend that would call AAA when he went out drinking and would say the car wouldn't start and they would tow it back to his residence. I wonder what they would do if you deliberately drove far enough to run out?

 

[apvbguy]

My old boss had a college friend that would call AAA when he went out drinking and would say the car wouldn't start and they would tow it back to his residence. I wonder what they would do if you deliberately drove far enough to run out?

how would they know it was deliberate? and about using AAA as a drunk bus, I have heard the same story many times, however I think it is an urban legend. some googel research turned up this from AAA:
http://dev.duijusticelink.aaa.com/for-the-public/aaas-role/public-education/sober-ride" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[RonDawg]

I don't know about in other states, but Auto Club of SoCal has a yearly limit on roadside assistance, and if you exceed that you get charged. It's not a lot of free responses (how much depends on your tier of service) so it's not something you want to waste. It might be cheaper to call a taxi.

Some tow companies do provide a service during New Year's Eve for example in which they will provide a few tow and a ride home to someone who has had too much to drink. But I don't think that's a AAA policy.

The few times I've had to call AAA for a vehicle that won't start, they do attempt to start it first before towing, as that is more expensive than say a jump start.

 

[timhebb]

My old boss had a college friend that would call AAA when he went out drinking and would say the car wouldn't start and they would tow it back to his residence. I wonder what they would do if you deliberately drove far enough to run out?

Maybe we should pitch in and buy Broder a AAA membership...

EDIT: For the record, I don't actually think Broder deliberately Brodered his test-drive Tesla. But for the damage he did inadvertently, I'm willing to pile on just the same. The NYTimes should never let the guy near a technology review again, and it appears they've learned that lesson. I'm pretty sure he too is still smarting from the wounds and is suffering a form of journalist's PTSD.