East Midland Ambulance Service (EMAS) has replaced all its Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS) cars in Derbyshire with fully-electric cars; reducing our emissions by 96 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) per year.
EMAS began its search for a suitable electric vehicle for its Derbyshire NEPTS service almost three years ago, testing a variety of different vehicles before making a final decision to implement the Kia e-Niro.
We now have 16 of these new vehicles for patients in Derbyshire who need non-emergency medical or clinical support to get to and from their healthcare appointments, for example renal patients.
Fleet Assistant General Manager Andy Watson said: "We’re really pleased to have been able to introduce these fully electric, zero emission vehicles.
“With these vehicles now fully operational, we are immediately putting them into service as we respond to the needs of our patients.
"These are exciting times for EMAS and I would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication to get these vehicles fully operational so that they can begin to be used to respond to our patients."
Instead of relying on traditional fuel to remain operational, PTS colleagues will be able to re-charge the vehicles at numerous charging points across the region.
All the electric NEPTS vehicles have sat-nav fitted as standard, which can be set to alert the driver to the nearest available charging station when required.
Steve Farnsworth, Assistant Director of Operational Support, said: “We are constantly evaluating the electric vehicle offering that is available, which is changing and improving with new products being launched year on year.
“These vehicles have an excellent range and the manufacturer is very much established in this field of technology.
“The car is capable of up to 282 miles when fully charged and our NEPTS vehicles complete 90 miles per day on average, meaning one charge should last a day without the need to charge again.”
Jenny Revill, Clinical Lead for NEPTS in Derbyshire at EMAS, was one of the first people to take the electric Kia out for a spin before they were deployed to stations across the division.
Jenny said: "The cars are smooth to drive, have a quiet ride and respond well to different traffic conditions.
"They are very comfortable for staff, which is important for 12-hour shifts, and the patients that have used them have given positive feedback – especially on getting in and out of the vehicle for those with mobility challenges.
"This is because the electric vehicles are slightly larger than our previous cars and this helps patients getting up from the seated position as there is plenty of legroom in the rear.
"The added feature of heated seats for the winter will be really helpful."
This latest rollout of electric vehicles at EMAS is part of our ongoing commitment to becoming a net zero trust by 2040.
Stacie Scullion, Sustainability, Energy and Compliance Manager at EMAS said: "Our operational fleet accounts for 65% of the emissions we control directly.
"Changing these 16 diesel cars in Derbyshire to electric vehicles will reduce our fleet emissions by 96 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) per year and will have the greatest benefit to reducing our overall climate impact.
"The climate emergency is also a health emergency and these zero emission cars are welcomed at EMAS as we recognise their importance in reducing the negative health impacts caused by air pollution.”