AAA is rolling out North America’s first fleet of quick-charge trucks that will rescue dead electric vehicles and get them back on the road.

The move, announced today at the big Plug-In Conference & Exposition in Raleigh, North Carolina, should help alleviate “range anxiety,” the nagging fear of being stranded with a dead battery. AAA is the perfect vehicle — pardon the pun — for this because it is a big provider of roadside assistance. The company, which has more than 52 million members, wants to establish itself in a new niche as more automakers join Nissan in offering mainstream mass-market EVs.

“As an EV advocate-turned EV salesman, I applaud the AAA for taking the lead offering this service to EV drivers,” said Paul Scott, a founder of the advocacy group Plug-In America. “Many people have asked me what would happen if they were to run out of juice on the freeway and now I have a very good answer: They get juiced up by AAA.”

We’ve already seen the technology in Japan, where Nissan and the Japan Automobile Federation deployed a truck in June. AAA says it will deploy one truck in each of six metro areas later this summer: Portland, Oregon; Seattle; the San Francisco Bay Area; Los Angeles; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Tampa, Florida. As the program gains traction and the number of EVs increases, AAA says it will roll into other cities.

“While these six areas are part of the initial pilot program, we’ve had tremendous interest from AAA clubs across the country to offer this service to their members, and we anticipate expanding the program to additional areas in the months following initial deployment,” said company exec John Nielsen.

The service will be available to AAA members and provide Level 2 (220 volt) and Level 3 (440 volt direct current) quick-charging service, depending upon the vehicle. Although Level 3 charging can “fill” a depleted battery in as little as 30 minutes, not all EVs have the capacity for it. There are a couple of reasons for this, not the least of which is there is not yet a global standard for the plug.

It isn’t that much of a stretch for AAA to add charging EVs to its repertoire, given that it already provides jump starts and gasoline to stranded motorists. AAA says the trucks will feature charging units from different manufacturers so it can test various systems. The truck unveiled today draws its energy from a lithium-ion battery; AAA says other trucks will use generators powered by compressed natural gas or hydraulic power take-off from the truck’s transmission.

Don’t expect a full charge if you get yourself stranded. You’ll get 15 minutes with the truck. That’s not much, especially if you’re using Level 2, but AAA says it’s enough to send you three to 15 miles up the road to your garage or a public charging station.

Yeah, yeah, we know. What public charging station? There are about 1,300 nationwide. More are coming. Slowly, but surely. In the meantime, you can find a Good Samaritan using the PlugShare smartphone app.

Photo: AAA