Ambulance service aims to improve slow response times with 235mpg electric Vauxhall Ampera

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Published: 28 February 2013

AMBULANCE services are increasingly going green, with paramedics in Yorkshire set to get behind the wheel of the 100-mph Vauxhall Ampera.

A hybrid with a potential combined fuel efficiency of 235.4mpg and emissions of 27g/km, Yorkshire medics will have plenty of room to store their kit with 300 litres of boot space.

Without the live-saving livery: the Ampera gleams with a wry smile in red.

Priced from £34,995 to £38,995 - and with significant discounts for emergency services - it is thought an increasing number of governmental organisations including local councils, environmental services and police forces are considering a move to faster electric vehicles after the government gave the thumbs up to a new £38m network of electric charging points across the UK.

Vauxhall Ampera

Operating as a rapid response vehicle in the York area, the emergency first aid team who will trial the Ampera are hoping to improve on their slow response times, which were heavily slated in 2010 by the healthcare regulator, the Care and Quality Commission. According to the NHS figures, they were the worst in England.

City of York Council has agreed to support the trial by making plug-in electric charging points available across the city. Councillor Dave Merrett, Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Sustainability, said: "I very much welcome Yorkshire Ambulance Service's move to introducing lower emission vehicles to its fleet. This is a first for the UK and an initiative I hope other emergency services will adopt."

Vauxhall Ampera

Yorkshire's emergency and Patient Transport Service comprises of in excess of 900 vehicles - making a huge impact on the environment. But having so many vehicles working around the clock also burns a hole in the local heath trust's budget - funds that could be better funnelled elsewhere to save lives and improve care for patients.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service hopes to reduce its carbon footprint by a massive 30 per cent by 2015 - saving thousands of pounds. If the E-REV technology in the Ampera proves to work in harmony with the paramedics' swift driving styles, Vauxhall, along with rival brands with economical cars including Honda, Hyundai and Toyota, could see significant fleet orders coming their way.

Vauxhall Ampera

As the first electric car to be trialled by an ambulance service on a long-term basis, Yorkshire Ambulance Service's Fleet Manager, Richard Smith, believes hybrid and electric cars are a 'viable alternative'.

With both an electric motor and a petrol engine, the 'range anxiety' that has plagued the image of so many electric cars in the past should not be an issue. When the Ampera is parked up waiting for a response, it can be plugged in and fully charged for the next emergency. "We are very excited to be the first ambulance service to trial an electric vehicle that will respond to incidents, reduce our emissions and provide significant savings on fuel costs," Mr Smith explained.

Dick Ellam, Manager, Vauxhall Special Vehicles, said: "We are delighted that the Ampera was chosen to be the first electric vehicle to be trialled as a frontline ambulance vehicle by the NHS Trust, and we are confident that the Yorkshire Ambulance Service will be impressed by the Ampera's durability, performance and economy."