The AA has added another 30 full-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to its low-carbon roadside service fleet.
The latest Ford Transit Custom vans include 15 battery electric versions and 15 plug-in hybrids, which join existing conventional ICE models.
They will be trialled in strategic locations across Britain including Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Nottingham, Liverpool and London.
The tests in real-world conditions will look at the practicality of home and strategic charging, and efficiency when laden with patrol technical equipment, core stock and recovery equipment.
In addition, all patrols in the trial will have chargers installed with both home and on-the-go charging supported by AA partner Rightcharge.
More than 50 zero- or low-emissions vehicles are included in the AA’s ‘test and scale’ trials across its van and truck fleet.
The range of applications vary from mobile mechanics workshops to roadside patrol vans and 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.
“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.”
