ELECTRIC vehicle drivers in Canberra will now have access to emergency charging facilities after the NRMA unveiled the first of its mobile chargers for members. 

NRMA roadside assistance includes cover for EVs at no additional cost to that paid by petrol and diesel drivers, as well as access to NRMA’s network of over 50 fast chargers.

Two local NRMA patrol vans have been specially equipped with 4.8kWh lithium-ion battery packs that provide one kilometres of charge every two minutes. After as little as 10 minutes of charging, a vehicle will have five kilometres of range to get to the nearest charging station.

NRMA Roadside Assistance patrol member Tim Bryant, was specifically trained to attend to electric vehicles, said: “We are seeing more and more EV drivers call us for assistance so it’s clear the need for this kind of support is increasing.

“NRMA patrols are now trained to attend to both internal combustion engines as well as electric vehicles. The new mobile EV chargers being rolled out in our patrol vans mean we’ll be able to get more cars back on the road faster.”

Demand for electric vehicles in Australia is growing year on year, with 2022 seeing the greatest increase with electric vehicle sales up 65 per cent over 12 months.