In a recent unveiling of figures, Accenture forecasts around 1.5 million electric vehicles in the US only by 2015; and in China, the government has promised $15 billion to start off an electric car industry of its own. But in this propitious phase of going ‘electric’, some EV customers still feel the so called ‘range anxiety’, i.e. what if the vehicle stops in the middle of the road because of lack of charge. The scenario is most unlikely to occur, especially in view of the recent advances made in the battery technologies and range enhancements. Still, EV charging stations are substantially scarce in comparison to petrol outlets, and this is where mobile EV service stations come into the picture.
The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and Nissan (manufacturer of LEAF) have just started their novel experiment with introducing roadside service vehicles equipped with chargers, to cater exclusively to electric vehicles. The testing phase would continue up to a year; assistance being specifically administered from JAF’s Kanagawa branch office. The conscientious approach made by the Japanese has been efficaciously collective, as the services provided wouldn’t just be limited to these EV ‘repair’ vehicles. Additionally, staff from JAF had also been given special roadside assistance training at the Nissan Education Center.
So, finally the electric vehicular charging infrastructure is about to progress to higher and a rather comprehensive level. EV owners can now look forth to breathe a sigh of relief as their vehicle performance wouldn’t just be limited to its technological marvel, or even those seldom found charging stations. In cases of emergency, the ‘old school’ roadside service vehicles can now conveniently come to their rescue.
Source: Gizmag
