Worried about getting stranded when your electric car runs down in the middle of nowhere? One company believes it has the answer in the form of a portable charger which you keep in the car. The ZipCharge Go is unveiled at COP26 in Glasgow this week.
This is the world's first portable EV charger
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Much as you would keep a jerrycan of petrol in the boot, the Go provides the emergency top-up when there are no charging points nearby. The power-bank-on-wheels can deliver enough juice for 20 miles in 30-60 minutes, says the company behind it.
ZipCharge also says its gadget will “democratise” the battery-electric car by giving the 8.5 million UK households with a car but without any off-street parking a way to charge up at home. Preventing someone walking off with it when you leave it on the pavement might be an issue, although ZipCharge insists it has thought of that by having the cable lock in to the car’s charging port. It also has a tracking device in it so you can follow it via an app on your phone.
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The Go looks a lot sleeker than a can of petrol (and won’t pong as much…), but it’s the size of a wheelie suitcase. You plug it in at home to charge it up and it’s so well connected and clever with AI it can work out for itself when to take advantage of cheap off-peak energy.
ZipCharge says it will be available from the end of next year on a subscription service at £49 a month.
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