RAC is piloting the use of an electric breakdown patrol van

The RAC has announced that it is introducing an electric patrol van, claiming to be the first recovery service to do so.

It is using a Renault Zoe Van, which is based on an electric supermini. Though not especially spacious, the RAC says the van version ‘is one of the few EVs on the market capable of carrying the necessary tools and parts needed to fix four out of five breakdowns on the spot’.

The Zoe was also chosen because the RAC says there are no electric vans currently on the market that can tow a vehicle, so they will instead attempt to fix breakdowns at the side of the road.

On top of this, the Zoe’s longer 245-mile range was appealing, with the RAC unable to efficiently plot its vans’ routes throughout the day as they are based on live calls.

It will mostly be used to respond to the service’s two most common call outs, which are dead batteries and tyre issues, accounting for about half of all responses. As part of its tool box, the Zoe will carry up to six replacement batteries and two tyres.

The RAC will deploy the Zoe in both urban and rural locations to assess its abilities in different environments.

RAC group operations director Paul Coulton said: “We are very excited to be putting our first electric zero-emission patrol van into service.

“We have been assessing various electric vans for some time but have been frustrated by the fact there isn’t one on the market that can do what our diesel-powered patrol vans can do at the moment in terms of carrying 500 parts and tools and towing broken-down vehicles, with a range that’s even half what one of our standard vans can do on a full tank.

“This first RAC all-electric patrol van may be small, but it’s easily capable of successfully attending nearly half of the breakdowns we get called out to on a daily basis. We’re confident it will prove the old saying that good things really do come in small packages.”