SECAmb trialling electric hybrid vehicle
Wednesday, 26 February, 2014
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) are trialling a new electric hybrid vehicle in its A&E fleet.
The Volvo V60 D6 Plug-in Hybrid is currently being trialled by a small group of staff operating out of the Hastings area.
SECAmb will be exploring the potential savings in both running costs and its carbon footprint with the new single responder vehicle over the coming months.
The vehicle is charged via electric charge points which have now been installed in all of the Trust’s Make Ready Centres.
SECAmb environmental manager, Julia Brown, who approached Volvo about running the trial, said: “The vast majority of our emissions are associated with the mileage resulting from our operational activity of delivering an emergency response service. This trial with Volvo is a valuable contribution to our overall plans to improve the resilience of our business by being able to operate our vehicles on a mix of fuels, rather than relying on one individual fuel, and reducing our carbon footprint in the process.”
The vehicle is able to switch between three modes:
Pure - uses pure electricity to create a zero emissions electric car with a range of up to 31 miles.
Hybrid - engages both the diesel engine and the electric motor - returning up to 155 mpg with emissions as low as 48 g/km CO2.
Power - a 215hp turbo diesel engine combining with a 70hp electric motor to reach 60 mph in under 6 seconds.
Paramedic John Anderson, who is in part of the team testing the new vehicle, said: “I think there will be plenty to discuss when the trial comes to an end and it is proving very interesting to be a part of it.”
