The organization announced it initially will deploy the trucks with mobile electric vehicle charging capability in six metropolitan areas across the U.S. as a pilot program, including Portland (Ore.), Seattle, the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, Knoxville (Tenn.) and the Tampa Bay area. The phased rollout will begin later this summer and continue into the fall.
The AAA Roadside Assistance truck is powered by Green Charge Networks. It features a removable lithium-ion battery pack for mobile charging. Other vehicles will be equipped with generators powered by alternative fuels and other power sources.
The truck is similar to AAA's other light services vehicles, only that it allows technicians to provide services such as battery testing, jump starts and replacements, tire changes, fuel delivery and lockout service.
AAA will provide 10 to 15 minutes of charge time to members with discharged electric vehicles, which will allow the vehicle to drive three to 15 miles to a charging station where they can further charge their vehicle.
There are three charging levels for electric vehicles:
- Level 1 is a standard 120-volt household outlet, which would take roughly 20 hours to fully charge a Nissan Leaf.
- Level 2 is 240 volts AC (alternating current). This is commonly found in household electric clothes dryers and can charge a Nissan Leaf in approximately six hours.
- Level 3 is DC (direct current) charging at high voltage—up to 500 volts DC. This allows a large amount of energy to be delivered to an electric vehicle in a very short period of time. A "depleted" Nissan Leaf could go to 80 percent state-of-charge in roughly 30 minutes with Level 3 charging.
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