This portable EV charger is powered by gas ... seriously

Blink Charging, self-described as a leader in public electric vehicle charging that aims to hasten EV adoption, has unveiled a new portable emergency charger designed to help EV drivers who find themselves stranded and without a plug. There's an ironic catch, though: It runs on gas. 

Range anxiety, the term that refers to an EV driver's worry of running out of juice, is one of the biggest marks against electric vehicles, along with the unavailability of chargers. Battery efficiency for EVs has risen greatly in recent years, as has the network of nationwide charging stations, but the question remains: what happens if I run out of charge while I'm driving? With this new product, Blink thinks it has a solution, even if it doesn't exactly line up with the company's ethos.

Blink does not mention dimensions of the unit, but it is free-standing, and thus does not require any sort of installation. The mobile charger is compatible with all EVs, no matter the manufacturer, and provides up to 9.6kW of charge. Blink claims the device supports 240-volt (Level 2) AC charging, and under the right circumstances can provide up to one mile of charge per minute. Again, though, the unit gets its energy from traditional gasoline. 

Although a gas-fueled EV charger is strange, the product prioritizes convenience in emergency situations. Blink imagines the charger would be perfect for roadside assistance companies, insurance companies, auto manufacturers, and credit card companies that offer roadside services. Blink says the charger can be purchased in networked configurations for company use or non-networked configurations for pay-per-charge personal use. 

Interestingly, Blink left out the fact that it's gas-powered in its press release, but Autoblog was able to confirm with a Blink representative. 

Some roadside assistance companies such as AAA have already launched mobile EV charging stations as far back as 2011. The AAA trucks come in a variety of configurations and get power from lithium-ion battery packs, gas, or other alternative fuels. Volkswagen has also envisioned a different type of mobile EV charger called a power bank with as much as 360 kWh of total battery storage capacity.  

According to Car and Driver, the Blink units will cost $6,500.

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