Hampshire & Berkshire ambulances begin to go electric
South central Ambulance Service are evaluating first responder units that are all-electric
Last updated 25th May 2021
South Central Ambulance service has introduced two all-electric emergency first response vehicles for the first time.
The vehicles are now operational after 18 months of research to find a suitable type.
The vehicles have a range of up to 282 miles on a single charge – which is well within the estimated 90-100 miles that is required for an average 10-hour operational shift.
The two Kia e-Niro vehicles have been designed and adapted by South Central Fleet Services to contain all the equipment, medication and supplies to allow first responder paramedics from SCAS to reach patients quickly under emergency driving conditions – and generating zero emissions in the process.
Charles Porter, Director of Finance at SCAS, said:
“I am delighted that these first two fully electric, zero emission emergency response vehicles will shortly be introduced to our operational fleet. As an organisation, we operate over 1,300 vehicles to deliver our services so being able to move to fully electric vehicles will be vital in order to deliver our environmental goals. We are key partners in national projects to deliver zero emission emergency vehicle fleets and we are already exploring how we can bring electric vehicles into our emergency ambulance and patient transport service operations.”
Gregory Edwards, Vehicle Commissioning Unit Manager, South Central Fleet Services, said:
“It was really exciting for my team and I to be given the opportunity to design the vehicles from the ground up, taking them from a standard electric road vehicle to an emergency response vehicle. There were a number of challenges we had to overcome, including ensuring the additional electric systems needed in an emergency vehicle wouldn’t drain the battery, emergency light fittings, weight and space limitations, but we’re really pleased with the end result and our operational colleagues can’t wait to get behind the wheel and take them out to help our patients.”
As fully electric, zero emission vehicles, there are also a number of additional benefits the Kia eNiro will bring to ongoing fleet costs. With no internal combustion engine in the vehicle there is a significant reduction in moving parts required, no oil or filter changes needed, less waste produced, reduced downtime for the vehicles to be off road and an estimated 25% reduction in overall maintenance costs compared to a petrol or diesel vehicle.
The UK Government’s Road to Zero strategy is a commitment for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. The introduction of the first two electric emergency response vehicles into the SCAS emergency fleet is a significant step forward in the Trust’s own Green Strategy which aims to deliver a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030.