The RAC is piloting a zero-emission Renault Zoe Van E-Tech for its patrol van service – believed to mark the first move into EVs by a major breakdown company.

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Although there are still no electric vans on sale capable of towing broken-down vehicles, the Zoe is able to carry the parts and tools needed to fix four out of five breakdowns on the spot, while still offering a 245-mile range; critical to the RAC’s everyday operations.

The patrol van will operate in both urban and rural settings and will principally be used to attend the RAC’s two most common breakdowns – batteries and tyres – which together account for nearly half of all call-outs.

As such, it’s kitted out with six replacement 12v car batteries, two tyres, a trolley jack, a battery tester, the RACScan diagnostic tool and a host of standard patrol tools.

The RAC added that it would continue to talk to manufacturers about its EV requirements.

RAC group operations director Paul Coulton explained: “We have been assessing various electric vans for some time but have been frustrated by the fact there isn’t one on the market that can do what our diesel-powered patrol vans can do at the moment in terms of carrying 500 parts and tools and towing broken-down vehicles, with a range that’s even half what one of our standard vans can do on a full tank.”

In the meantime, the Zoe Van provides a ‘toe in the water’ when it comes to going electric but still meeting patrol van requirements.

Coulton continued: “This first RAC all-electric patrol van may be small, but it’s easily capable of successfully attending nearly half of the breakdowns we get called out to on a daily basis. We’re confident it will prove the old saying that good things really do come in small packages.”

It’s the latest innovation in the firm’s breakdown service as it continues to ramp up for EVs.

The business has already committed to having one in every five RAC patrol equipped with its EV Boost technology, which can get flat or severely depleted electric cars going again without the need for heavy and bulky portable batteries

In addition, the RAC All-Wheels-Up recovery system enables a standard patrol van to safely tow a stricken EV with all four wheels off the road, saving customers having to wait for a separate flatbed truck.