A new game-changing solution to rescue electric vehicles and 4x4s is to significantly cut customer waiting times.

EVs and 4x4s can’t normally be ‘lifted’ and towed on two wheels, meaning drivers have to wait for flatbed trucks, making recoveries slower

EVs and 4x4s can’t normally be ‘lifted’ and towed on two wheels, meaning drivers have to wait for flatbed trucks, making recoveries slower.

But the AA’s new free-wheeling hub tackles this. Developed by chief engineer Steve Ives, the hub is fitted by patrols to the rear wheels of broken-down vehicles, ensuring they can be recovered by standard patrols. This will reduce any potential delays for customers and get them on their way sooner, as well as making recoveries more efficient and cutting emissions.

It’s already being used by more than 900 patrols and will be rolled out to all patrols in the coming months.

The freewheeling hub works in conjunction with the AA’s Multi-Fit wheel and new heavy-duty Multi-fit wheel for larger vehicles, enabling patrols to fit temporary spare wheels to almost any vehicle. It has its own heavy-duty high-speed bearing making the wheel turn independently from the car.

Its development is all the more pertinent as 4x4s increasingly don’t have spare wheels as standard, so must be recovered to fit new tyres. In the case of a car with two punctured tyres and no spare, patrols are now equipped with two Multi-Fit spare wheels, one being part of the new freewheeling hub kit, so are able to provide a repair solution where previously a recovery would have been required.

The freewheeling hub will also enable the movement of vehicles in confined spaces which cannot be reached by larger recovery vehicles.

James Hosking, chief operating officer – roadside, said: “This fantastic innovation will help to future-proof our service and rescue customers more quickly than our competitors. We have already seen a big increase in SUV sales and are likely to witness an electric vehicle revolution in the coming years. Our innovations keep us ahead of the game.”