Our EV Boost charging system won over the judges during the 35th award show designed to champion excellence in road transport fleet operators.
RAC engineering partner Original ADS said: “This award is a fantastic tribute to our outstanding team.”
The first-of-its-kind service launched in 2019 to give stranded out-of-charge EV drivers enough power to reach a nearby charge point.
The game-changing technology was made possible by developing a lightweight, shoe box-sized charger which could fit easily into RAC patrol vans.
Earlier this year, we cemented our position as the number one EV breakdown service by signing an agreement to equip hundreds more of our patrols with EV Boost chargers.
The RAC plan to have 200 vans fitted with EV Boost chargers by the end of 2021 and a further 120 in 2022. The increase will mean that one in five of our patrols will be able to give electric cars an emergency roadside boost.
Since its inception, the van-mounted devices have been upgraded from 3.5kW chargers to 5kW chargers, capable of faster charging. Work is currently underway to build a 7.5kW charger.
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RAC director of EVs Sarah Winward-Kotecha said: “We were very proud to be the first breakdown company to launch a solution at scale to help out-of-charge EV drivers, and we’re even more delighted to be the only roadside assistance company in the UK that can use this pioneering British-designed technology.”
She believes that the technology is “faster, more efficient and better for the planet than having to send a big flatbed recovery vehicle or a van full of batteries.”
Sarah Winward-Kotecha added: “If a customer breaks down in an EV for another reason our patrols have more unique equipment in their vans to help.
“If they can’t fix the fault there and then, they can tow it themselves with our All-Wheels-Up recovery system meaning there’s no need to wait for a tow truck. It’s like having a flatbed in the back of an RAC van.”
Original ADS commercial director Lauren Saxton said: “We have forged a brilliantly collaborative partnership which we hope will provide vital stimulation to the take-up of EVs... we believe it will help to ensure ‘range anxiety’ becomes a thing of the past.”
Return to the RAC Drive Electric cars hub
Read our guides on choosing, charging and running an electric car.
Number 1 for EV Breakdown Cover*
With EV Boost mobile chargers and rapid recovery towing capability, the RAC do more than any other breakdown provider to keep you and your electric car on the road.
