RACQ’s new advanced Hino tow trucks

What happens if someone’s electric vehicle runs out of charge and is stuck on the side of the road? Well, the RACQ has the answer.

Its fleet of new Hino 500 Series Standard cab FD1124 tow trucks are fitted with EV charging stations.

The trucks can charge an electric vehicle on the side of the road or while it’s on the back of the truck so that when it reaches its destination, it can be driven.

The RACQ’s Towing and Incident Management Fleet says it chose Hino after considering other manufacturers’ offerings and made the decision based on the safety options available as standard equipment on the 500 Series Standard Cab – features that led to the Hino 500 Series Standard Cab being awarded the 2020 Trucksales Safety Award – which include active cruise control, lane departure warning and steering-wheel mounted controls.

RACQ says that while there have been earlier concept iterations of tow trucks with EV charging capabilities, it is believed that the technology and configuration used in the RACQ trucks is likely to uninque in the towing space. They say that they aren’t aware of any other trucks currently in service with EV charging capabilities.

The trucks are in Crew Cab configuration with 6.2-metre tilt trays with a 10.3 degree departure angel to allow access for modern low-slung cars.

They’re also fitted with the latest emergency warning lights which are designed to aim in the direction of approaching traffic. The lights offer patterns that change depending on whether the vehicle is stationary or moving and also depending on the ambient light.

Also fitted are LED Variable Message Boards, instead of the standard arrow boards, which can provide full instructions to traffic approaching the scene.

RACQ currently has four of the Hinos on its fleet with another four on order.