As battery-electric vehicles continue to gain market share, demand for user support will also increase. One such type of service is EV mobile charging and rescue recharge.
For buyers of the recently-launched BYD Atto 2, Sime Motors has partnered with Power Up Malaysia to support vehicle charging for owners of the electric crossover.
This comes as part of the 12-month Sime Platinum 4+ by Power Up subscription programme which offers mobile vehicle charging up to four times a month, vehicle hand-wash, vacuum and tyre shine services up to twice a month, and free EV rescue service up to twice a year for selected areas.
Photographed here with a single-cab Ford Ranger as its base, the Power Up mobile charging/rescue vehicle is equipped with a 120 kWh battery, and this is dispensed at up to 120 kW DC. As part of the 12-month Sime Platinum 4+ by Power Up subscription, each of the four mobile charging sessions a month will recharge the customer vehicle to 80% SoC.
The first stage of deployment of Power Up mobile charging and rescue services is offered in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Penang, with three units to serve across these areas. This is to be grown to four units for Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, and two units for Penang by end of the year.
The service will cover all of Klang Valley and Penang from January 2026, while the southern region will see the inclusion of Johor Bahru by the first quarter of 2026, according Power Up personnel.
Rescuing an electric vehicle that has insufficient battery charge is a procedure that is more involved than refuelling a petrol or diesel-powered vehicle that has run out. To that end, Allianz has a fleet of EV rescue vehicles, also shown at the Malaysian market launch of the BYD Atto 2.
Among the more conventional vehicles in the fleet is a rather curious-looking contraption, the RoboRanger. This is a remote-driven robotic cart that serves the EV rescue recharge role, and its form makes it applicable in confined spaces such as car park buildings that cannot be accessed by a conventional flatbed truck.
It is on a flatbed truck that the RoboRanger rescue cart arrives on, as it is not a road-legal vehicle, and it is then remotely driven on the car park grounds to the stricken EV in need of a charge to be mobile again.
The RoboRanger will typically offer 10 kWh of charge at 80 kW DC to get the EV to a charging point, or slightly more than 10 kWh if the EV owners requires a bit more charge to get to their next stop, according to Allianz Malaysia.
At present, there is one unit of the RoboRanger in service in the Klang Valley. The make and country of origin of the RoboRanger is undisclosed; Allianz Malaysia directly purchased the unit from its manufacturer, according to Allianz Malaysia personnel.
When attending to EVs in need of recharging in less confined spaces, the Allianz EV Ranger fleet has more conventional, road-going rescue vehicles carrying EV charging equipment.
Allianz Malaysia presently has two vehicles in its EV Ranger fleet, each providing up to 10 kWh of recharge as with the RoboRanger robotic cart. This is dispensed at up to 80 kW DC.
The EV Ranger service by Allianz Malaysia comes as part of the Allianz EV Shield vehicle insurance policy for EVs. This is for active Private Car Comprehensive (EV) policies, and policyholders receive RM200 in charging credit with the purchase of any eligible policy, including Smart Home Cover, Allianz Business Shield, Commercial Fire, Standard Fire, PremierHome, Houseowner, or Householder policy.
Sime Motors Power Up mobile charging, EV rescue vehicle
Allianz EV RoboRanger rescue recharge cart
Allianz EV Rangers
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