AA adds fresh electric vehicles to fleet
The AA has added 30 full-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to its low-carbon roadside service fleet as part of its 2035 net zero target.
In December 2024, the motoring organisation put 15 battery electric vehicle (BEV) and 15 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) Ford Transit Customs into its roadside service fleet.
The organisation said it will be the first major trial of plug-in vehicles in its core yellow roadside assistance vans, and the vehicles will operate in strategic locations across Britain including Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Nottingham, Liverpool and London.
Vans will undergo a series of structured tests while in use in ‘real-world’ conditions, including the practicality of home and strategic charging, efficiency tests when laden with patrol technical equipment, core stock and recovery equipment whilst retaining a focus on customer and patrol comfort.
All patrols in the trial will have chargers installed at home to enable low-carbon ways of working with both home and on-the-go charging supported by Rightcharge.
Both models of the Ford Transit Custom will be capable of towing with the PHEV van having a full compact recovery trailer (CRT) set-up. The BEV model has a range of up to 236 miles, but initial usage predicts a range (which includes towing) of around 120 miles.
By the start of 2025, over 50 zero or low-emissions vehicles will be included in AA’s ‘test and scale’ trials across our van and truck fleet. The vast range of applications vary from Mobile Mechanics workshops to AA Key Assist workspaces to Roadside Patrol vans to a slide-bed recovery trucks.
Duncan Webb, AA’s head of fleet, said:
“The famous yellow van has seen countless improvements over the decades, but few innovations can be more important than the latest, which sees our ever-reliable fleet of Ford Transit Customs begin its transition to BEV and PHEV.
“The performance of the low-emissions vehicles we launched earlier this year continues to achieve or exceed our expectations. The results, so far, have proved that our “test and scale” approach remains, for us, the most common-sense way of tackling what are unprecedented challenges. The performance of our fully electric Volvo FE Slidebed has not only provided a unique driving experience for our expert patrols but has delivered exceptional mileage range in all conditions.
“The same can be said for our Iveco eDaily Powerload and Iveco eDaily crew vans equipped with a heavy-duty Compact Recovery Trailer (CRT). These vehicles became the first operational EV recovery trucks of their kind in the UK, and the early signs are very encouraging. If current trends shown in our ‘test and scale’ approach continue, our strategy could prove pivotal in moving The AA move ever closer to achieving its goal of becoming a net zero organisation by 2035.”