![Tim Heldman, owner of Absolute Towing and Recovery in Oakdale, prepared an automobile with a flat tire for towing along I-94 near Woodbury. ] JIM GEHRZ • james.gehrz@startribune.com /Oakdale, MN / March 31, 2016 8:30 AM - BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Shrinking highway shoulders in the Metro area are proving to be a safety hazard for motorists, police, and emergency personnel and tow truck drivers. Earlier this year, a St. Paul tow truck driver leapt over a median to avoid an oncoming vehicle, only to be hit — twice — by oncoming cars. The accident highlighted the tight circumstances under which police and emergency personnel operate, most of them located near the inner Metro core. We will be waiting at Absolute Towing for a tow truck call to come in, and then go out with the driver to observe the hazards he/she faces while trying to tend to a stranded motorist. Story is about the dangers tow truck drivers, police and emergency personnel face when dealing with stranded motorists. Drivers are not paying attention, they don't slow down for them, and the shoulders themselves are often negligible or nonexistent.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/RGGVZBVXTA5JKDCAQGG5FG4CWY.jpg?&w=1080)
Today's electric vehicles can get up to 300 miles on a single charge, but that can produce "range anxiety" — the fear of running out of power.
That thought was on the mind of several Drive readers who e-mailed in after reading a recent Star Tribune article about whether the electrical grid has the capacity to power the proliferating number of electric vehicles hitting the roads. They wondered if owners of electric vehicles qualify for roadside assistance should their batteries go dead.
The answer is yes, said Jesse Simon, senior manager of marketing and communications for AAA Minneapolis. But the services the auto club offers depend on the type of vehicle a member owns.
AAA provides jump-starts, fuel delivery and battery replacement for members with gas-powered vehicles and most hybrid vehicles. The club does not provide jump-starts or battery replacements for drivers whose vehicles are 100% powered by electricity. Not to worry, Simon said — AAA won't leave a motorist stranded on the side of the road.
"If a member with an EV calls for battery-related service, we most likely would tow their vehicle to a service station, dealership or charging station," he said. "We can still provide many services for members who drive electric vehicles. This includes mechanical first aid, flat tire service, lockout service, extrication and towing."
AAA and many of its tow providers don't have mobile battery charging service, "as we haven't identified this as a significant need by our members," Simon said. As demand for EVs grows — nearly 60% of all passenger vehicles sold by 2040 will be electric, according to an analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, an arm of the Bloomberg news and research firm — Simon said AAA anticipates that "we'll need to expand our service offerings for EVs at some point in the future."
Allstate Roadside can provide on-site jump starts if an electric vehicle is a hybrid — meaning it is equipped with a 12 volt battery, said spokeswoman Tanya Robinson. A fully electric vehicle must be towed to a charging station, or the vehicle owner's home, she said.
But that could change. Though not yet offered in Minneapolis, Allstate is able to bring a portable roadside charging station and offer a fast charge to stranded EV motorists in cities such as Austin, Texas, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco.
