Electric cars for medics
ANDREW BARDSLEY
ELECTRIC cars will be used by paramedics from April – as the ambulance service aims to become more environmentally friendly.
The four vehicles, an updated version of the BMW i3, will be trialled in Bury and Rochdale by the North West Ambulance Service.
The model has a system which allows it to supplement its electric power with a small petrol engine that can generate electricity.
But they say this will only be used in ‘extreme circumstances’.
It is one of the first ambulance services in the country to use electric cars, which will be used as rapid response vehicles (RRVs).
The RRVs are designed to be able to attend emergencies more quickly than regular ambulances as they can get through traffic more easily.
The vehicles do not usually transfer patients to hospital but they are driven by paramedics who can administer lifesaving treatment.
It’s aimed at saving the ambulance service about £2.5m in fuel costs over a four-year lease period, and annual savings of £4,300 per vehicle in maintenance and fuel.
In the long term, the ambulance service wants to replace all of its 174 RRVs with electric cars.
Neil Maher, the ambulance service’s assistant director for service delivery support, said: “The trust relies heavily on rapid response vehicles to be able to reach patients as quickly as possible.
“The introduction of these electrically-powered cars will not only provide huge cost savings for the trust, it will also have a huge impact on our carbon footprint, reducing the carbon contribution from our RRVs from 1,379.28 tonnes to 100.8 tonnes, a reduction of 73 per cent.”
He added: “Although electric cars have been around for some time, improvements in technology from BMW have allowed the trust to be confident enough to use them for emergency response units.
“The vehicles are fitted with additional technology meaning the engine can be powered by petrol in the unlikely event that the battery does run out.
“With the correct charging routines and future battery advancement, it is hoped that this system will only be used on a small number of occasions to allow the trust to achieve a target of zero emissions.
“Although the technology available on the market has not yet advanced far enough to allow the trust to introduce electric vehicles throughout its entire ambulance fleet, this is a very exciting starting point and we are looking forward to further advances in the future.”