The Welsh Ambulance Service has taken delivery of ten Maxus eDeliver 5 fully electric vehicles as part of the trust’s ambition to reduce its carbon footprint.
They join a further 20 Ford Transit Custom plug-in hybrid vehicles in the 800-strong fleet, following a £22.4 million investment by Welsh Government in replacement vehicles.
These single responder vehicles, which will be used predominantly by advanced paramedic practitioners and Cymru high acuity response unit paramedics, will be used across Wales, including in Wrexham, Aberystwyth, Gelli, Bryncethin, Neath, Swansea, Blackwood and Cardiff.
They come with driver assistance technologies, such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist and blind spot assist, all of which help reduce driver fatigue and enable crews to focus fully on patient care.
Paramedics will be able to re-charge their vehicles at numerous charging points in stations across Wales.
It is expected that the vehicles will continue to drive down CO2 from diesel emissions and improve the experience of patients and staff.
David Holmes, Fleet Manager at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said, “These vehicles represent a major step forward not just in sustainability, but in comfort and safety.
“We’re immensely proud of these cleaner and greener vehicles, which support both our own decarbonisation agenda and Welsh Government’s goal for a carbon net zero public sector by 2030.”
Ed Roberts, the Trust’s Acting Director of Finance, said: “As the national ambulance service for Wales, improving air quality is a key priority for us, not just for our people and patients but for the wellbeing of communities across Wales, now and in the future.
“With demand on our service increasing year-on-year, it’s more important than ever to have an efficient fleet which literally keeps the wheels turning on our ambulance service.”
