As the numbers of EV vehicles on the road grows exponentially, so too will the demand for towing and recovery services. Fabris said, “People are still going to slide off the road during ice storms, they are still going to hit deer, they still are going to have collisions at intersections.” And the more EV work, the more incentives for towers to invest in the kind of equipment they will need to execute their jobs. In June, Urgently, another roadside assistance company focused on using an app to connect service providers with drivers, formed a partnership with SparkCharge, the maker of the Roadie, a fast-charging mobile unit that towers could use regularly to service depleted batteries and help get those stranded cars back up and running, all at a price, that would need to be acceptable to towers and motor clubs alike. Currently, these fast charging units start at around $5,000, a forward-thinking investment for most tow companies at this stage of EV market penetration. Gary King, a leader over network relationship management at Allstate Roadside, was the first to assist in pioneering a pilot program with GM’s OnStar using SparkCharge’s technology. He said, “We bought seven units and asked service providers to try them out and share data with us.”
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Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!
AmericanTowman.com | September 2021 • 27