Wednesday 11 August 2021

NHS ‘to spend £100k on electric ambulances to slash carbon footprint’

NHS is reportedly considering buying a £100,000 fleet of electric ambulances to slash carbon dioxide emissions from its operations.

According to the Daily Mail, transit vans will be converted into double-crewed emergency vehicles.

The strategic partnership between Ford and emergency vehicle builder Venari Group aims to develop a lightweight frontline ambulance with a 3.5-tonne gross vehicle weight based on the Ford Transit chassis cab.

The reports claim that the vehicles will use batteries that offer a range of 250 miles from a single charge.

The production of the electric ambulance vehicles is expected to start at Ford's plant in Dagenham, East London, in 2022.

It is estimated that around 100 jobs will be created when the facility starts production next year.

Venari Group Chief Executive Officer Oliver North said: "The Ford Venari alliance will drive efficiency in production of the Transit-based front-line ambulance, whilst essentially creating new jobs.”