NHS Lothian spends £525,000 on new electric vehicles
NHS Lothian in Scotland has invested over half a million pounds into its electric fleet. £525,000 recently bought the National Health Service in Lothian 58 electric vehicles and 46 charging stations and brought up fleet electrification to 25 per cent.
With the additional 58 electric vehicles, NHS Lothian now operates 187 electric vehicles, just over a quarter of their fleet. NHS Lothian received its first three electric vehicles in 2012, and in 2019, Transport Scotland provided funding which resulted in an additional 39 electric vehicles being added to the fleet.
For the new vehicles that just arrived, the health service released no information on the type of vehicles involved. However, the press photo shows two Nissan e-NV200 vans. There is also no information on the charging stations, e.g. whether these are AC or DC.
“Climate change is the biggest threat to global health, and it’s vital that we adapt to it as an organisation, not just as individuals,” says NHS Lothian Transport Manager Iain Sneddon. “Electric vehicles are the preference when we’re looking to grow our fleet or replace vehicles. Not only are they a cleaner alternative, but they have the added benefit of being more cost-effective.”
NHS Lothian is in line with a national effort by the British health service to decrease their emissions.
The NHS Scotland already in 2019 had been granted £1.36 million through the Transport Scotland Switched on Fleets Fund for 112 new electric cars. The Scottish health service may thus increase the number of EVs by 80%. NHS Scotland is committed to phasing-out new petrol or diesel cars in the public sector fleet by 2025 and all other vehicles in the public sector fleet by 2030.
Across the UK, the NHS aims to reach net zero by 2040. In July 2011, the NHS ordered 500 more Nissan Leafs (up from 350 vehicles the previous year), and at the beginning of last year, the NHS ordered 700 Jaguar I-Paces.
It is also working on zero-emission ambulances together with Ford and the Venari Group to develop a corresponding vehicle based on the Ford Transit as reported.
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