GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids was selected as one of 16 metro areas nationwide to participate in an American Automobile Association (AAA) pilot program offering roadside electric vehicle (EV) charging.
The pilot program is the second of its kind, with the first beginning in 2010 to test prototype technologies that could be used to charge EV on the roadside.
After learning from the first pilot program, AAA is now implementing their roadside EV charging technology in over a dozen cities across the country.
“AAA is prepared to service any vehicle type, whether gas or electric,” said Adrienne Woodland, spokeswoman, AAA-The Auto Club Group. “Range anxiety remains the number one barrier between consumers and wider EV adoption. AAA will help ease this anxiety by deploying specialized trucks equipped with mobile electric vehicle chargers, providing enough range to get drivers home or to the nearest charging station.”
The new roadside EV charging program is free for AAA members and is available to non-members if needed, but you will have to sign up to become an AAA member when the recharging vehicle responds to your call.
AAA also offers a free-point-to-point directions tool, TripTik Travel Planner, that travelers can use to map out their trip to include stops at EV charging stations.
Check out the map below to see what other cities are participating in the pilot program.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.