Range anxiety is still one of the main reasons (around 35%) people in the UK are not considering an EV as their next car. The public EV charging infrastructure continues to grow and technology develops giving new EV’s quicker charging capabilities and longer ranges. Are mobile charging points the solution to persuade more to make the switch? Having access to a mobile charging point in your car, like a jerry can for petrol or diesel, would solve the issue of range anxiety. A couple of early EVs did have range extenders, which in some cases doubled the range of the vehicle but did use a small petrol engine to charge the battery. A battery which could be stored separately and not powered by fossil fuels could be the answer.
Does mobile EV charging exist?
Currently, there are no portable EV chargers available for private use in the UK, however, solutions do exist in America. Blink, have a gas-powered generator that puts out up to 9.6kW of power, with estimated charge times of up to 1 mile per minute of charging. This is mainly used by roadside assistance companies and as it is powered by fossil fuels, this isn’t the perfect solution yet.
A portable battery-powered charger does exist, however is too big to fit in a vehicle. The Freewire Mobi EV Charger is a quick solution to EV charging and doesn’t require additional fixed infrastructure. Could this technology, in a smaller package be the solution to consumer's range anxiety?
For now though, in the UK, if you are ever left short and run out of charge, recovery companies like the RAC do have mobile charging vans on hand to help. These mobile chargers are able to give stranded vehicles enough charge to get to a nearby charge point. As EVs cannot be moved with there wheels on the ground, having mobile charging van is an efficient solution to a future problem.
Until smaller, battery powered, portable charger is available the best way to reduce range anxiety is by leaving home or the office with a full charge. If you’re looking to go electric but worry about range anxiety, get in touch and discuss your charging requirements with the team today.