LV= to offer roadside charging for EV customers

LV= General Insurance is piloting a new service in partnership with AFF to offering roadside charging assistance for its electric vehicle (EV) customers.

AFF is a national roadside EV charging assistance company and is committing 10 recharge vans for England and Wales as part of the pilot.

LV= GI already offers ‘out of charge recovery’ as standard as part of its electric vehicle (EV) insurance policy, but currently drivers who break down at home or on the road have to be transported to the nearest charging unit.

This new service means any EV can receive a 30 minute charge at the roadside, providing an average 10 miles of battery, giving them the chance to continue their journey and get to a nearby petrol/service station or private location to do a full charge.

The AFF vans have been equipped with a 7.2kw charging unit, as well as 10 meter cabling that can be used at the roadside, including on motorways, in accordance with best practice breakdown and recovery guidelines.

The partnership extends the current arrangement between LV= GI and AFF, which currently sees AFF attend and manage misfuelling incidents for LV= GI customers with petrol or diesel vehicles.

The 10 vehicles on the road will have capability to do both fuel drain and mobile charging.

Tom Clarke, head of EV strategy at LV= GI, said: “We already cater for EV drivers who run out of charge by taking them to the nearest charge point, but this partnership with AFF means we can increase the level of support and value we provide to our customers.

“We would always advise EV drivers make sure their car is charged properly and regularly, especially if they’re going on long journeys, but as drivers still run out petrol the same is true for EV drivers and customers now have the security that an AFF recharge van get to them if they’re stranded on the motorway.”