The AA is to introduce what it believes will be the first driver training course aimed specifically at motorists with electric or hybrid models.
Initially the course, run the association’s DriveTech division, will be offered to business drivers and their employers to help fulfil duty of care obligations.
The workshop-based course, devised by the AA DriveTech Academy, lasts three and a half hours and covers the differences between driving a conventional petrol or diesel-powered vehicle and an electric or hybrid model. It is also covers specific techniques that help drivers with these cars maximise economy and drive safely, refuel or recharge, plan journeys to avoid range anxiety and how other road users interact with such vehicles and the potential hazards this could create.
“Clearly the market for these vehicles has some way to go before it is considered firmly established within the UK fleet market but we felt it was important that AA DriveTech was in a position to support early adopters and assist them in adapting their driving styles to both remain safe and get the best out of their vehicles,” says Paul Holmes, AA DriveTech’s Fleet Director.
The course is being launched to coincide with the start of the MPG Marathon, which starts on today (Wednesday October 5, 2011) at the Four Pillars Hotel, Cotswolds Water Park near Cirencester. The event covers a 350 mile route over a two day period and aims to promote not only the most economical cars but also fuel-saving driving techniques that can lower fuel consumption, irrespective of the type of vehicle driven.
The official AA DriveTech entry on the MPG Marathon consists of a Toyota Prius T-Spirit loaned by Toyota UK and driven by fuel economy experts Steve Johnson and Steve Heyworth.
AA DriveTech is a leading provider of occupational road risk management, driver assessment and training and annually re-trains over 23,000 employees of various organisations who drive for work purposes through its FleetSafe division.
In total over the past two years well over 300,000 UK drivers have attended some form of AA DriveTech course.
