Dr Colin Tan (left), and Cameron Brill from Hato Hone St John (centre), with ASB'S Carrie Gage (right), at the blessing ceremony for the EV ambulance, held in the Waikato.
Dr Colin Tan (left), and Cameron Brill from Hato Hone St John (centre), with ASB'S Carrie Gage (right), at the blessing ceremony for the EV ambulance, held in the Waikato.
New Zealand’s first electric ambulance has arrived in Hamilton, as part of a trial that should help with the health of the planet as well as patients.
After two years of planning, designing, and assembling, the EV was given to Hato Hone St John at a blessing ceremony in Ngāruawāhia last week.
The EV will undergo a year-long trial in Hamilton to understand the full range and reliability of the vehicle.
Hato Hone St John’s head of service and sustainability Dr Colin Tan, said a sustainable fleet of vehicles has been in motion since 2021.
“Our initial focus was moving non-emergency vehicles towards hybrid and electric models,” Tan said.
“We know that transitioning non-emergency vehicles makes sense. The trial will tell us whether it’s also viable and affordable for emergency vehicles. Not only are we keen to analyse the cost benefits of fuel savings, and carbon emissions reductions, we will also closely analyse the clinical experience for our people and our patients.”
The EV ambulance in action. Photo / Hato Hone St John
Hato Hone St John is confident the EV’s range of 250km would cope with the 180km ambulances covered on an average shift. A backup vehicle would always be available.
It goes from 0-100km/h in about nine seconds and ambulance officers would undergo driver training before working shifts on the EV emergency ambulance.
Hato Hone St John deputy chief executive of corporate operations Cameron Brill, said with nearly 1400 vehicles, half of which are ambulances, reducing emissions from their fleet is where the organisation could make the biggest impact.
“It’s the biggest focus for us in how we can provide an efficient world-class health service to our communities, but in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way.”
ASB head of sustainability Carrie Gage said they were proud to support Hato Hone St John with this initiative.
“Building a sustainable future for all New Zealanders is a core focus for us,” Gage said.
“We see potential for this project to have a rippling effect through other industries on the same path and are extremely excited to be able to pave the way for future work in this space.”
ASB helped with funding the build and trial of the first EV emergency ambulance in New Zealand. Siemans, a global technology powerhouse, and YHI, a leading distributor of automotive and energy products donated two EV chargers.
The EV emergency ambulance would be based at the Hamilton Ambulance Station, on Seddon Rd.
