AAA Plans to Launch Fast-Charging Trucks for Electric Vehicles

AAA plans to launch trucks equipped with fast charger units to arid drivers of electric vehicles when their batteries run down.

Published on June 22, 2011

The motorist group, which provides emergency services to drivers around the country, will unveil the first system at a North Carolina conference in July. selected.

The organization will test the trucks starting in August, Christie Hyde, a spokeswoman for Orlando, Florida-based AAA, said on Tuesday. Initially, the group will have at least six “mobile charging units,” including in states such as California, Oregon, Washington, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia, she said.

"We know electric vehicles are coming and we’ve got to be ready for them,” Hyde said. She declined to provide details on the cost or makers of the units and said AAA will test chargers from multiple suppliers.

Fear of being stranded without power is one of the major roadblocks to electric vehicle adoption. Most drivers will need to spend hours charging vehicles like the Nissan Leaf in their homes.

Massive efforts are underway to install public charging infrastructure in major cities. Some companies, such as Cleveland-based Eaton Corp., have already started developing charger trucks.