The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) has taken delivery of 16 Kia e-Niro vehicles for patients in Derbyshire who need non-emergency medical or clinical support to get to and from their healthcare appointments.
EMAS began its search for a suitable EV to replace its Derbyshire non-emergency patient transport service (NEPTS) fleet almost three years ago and tested a variety of different vehicles
The e-Niro is capable of up to 282 miles when fully charged and the NEPTS vehicles complete 90 miles per day on average, meaning one charge should last a day without the need to charge again.
It is powered by a long-range 64.8 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack and a 201 bhp (150 kW) electric motor.
All the electric NEPTS vehicles are fitted with satellite navigation as standard, which can also alert the driver to the nearest available charging station when required.
This latest rollout of electric vehicles at EMAS is part of the organisation’s 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 per cent of the emissions we control directly.
“Changing 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.”
