We’re putting electric to the test for future generations

‘EV’ stands for electric vehicle. EVs are plug-in vehicles powered at least partly by electricity. This includes battery electric vehicles, (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The term ‘EV” doesn’t just cover cars – heavy transport, marine transport, planes, scooters, bicycles and motorcycles can all be powered by electric motors!  

EVs are rapidly gaining popularity because they have a myriad of advantages in comparison to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs).  

Some of the reasons to consider switching to EVs include

• The vehicle’s life cycle contributes less CO2 emissions than ICEVs
• No clutch or gears allow EVs to accelerate smoothly and quickly
• Because they have fewer moving parts there’s less things to go wrong and therefore less ongoing maintenance costs
• Cheaper to run than petrol or diesel.

We know EVs are being used by emergency services in other parts of the world, but we don’t know if it’s something that can work here in Aotearoa New Zealand given our geographic location and spread-out communities. We need to do a trial to see if it is possible before we commit to investing any further in these vehicles.

We also want to do this because this project aligns to our Manaaki Ora Strategy’s strategic aim of building sustainability for future generations.

We also see first-hand the impact of climate change on communities. For example, Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 had a disastrous impact on areas with vulnerable infrastructure, isolating communities and further compromising already existing challenges to accessing health services. It’s our duty to mitigate and adapt to climate change to improve wellbeing outcomes and build resilience – particularly in times of crises.

It made sense for us to base the trial in Hamilton where the vehicle has been fitted out by Action Manufacturing and where we have also been provided EV charging infrastructure thanks to YHI and Siemens. We also know EVs are generally more suited to urban areas.

The trial will test the vehicle’s performance potential and whether EVs might be successfully introduced into our wider fleet.

Patient safety is our number one priority. While we’re confident the EV will meet its expected range capabilities or performance during the trial, contingencies are in place to mitigate any risks that may arise that could compromise our efficiencies or patient care.

This includes only trialing the vehicle in an urban area on a 12-hour day shift, during which, we will always have a backup ambulance on stand-by to cover if something were to happen.

However, also noting that any vehicle we operate has the potential for something to go wrong, which is why we always do our best to minimise any chance of this occurring.

ASB has given us $291,000 to the EV trial project. We couldn’t do it without them. This money was allocated in 2022, specifically for this project. It does not relate to the current EAS budget deficit.

Advances in EV battery technology is enabling production of more environmentally sustainable battery chemistry and longer lasting batteries that do not degrade and lose capacity at the rate earlier EV batteries did.

The NZ Battery Industry Group is also taking an active role in developing guidelines and policy in the areas of battery traceability, reuse and recycling.

We are committed to ensuring it will take an ethical and environmental approach to disposal of any of its existing and future EV vehicle batteries when required.

A lot of consideration has been put into selecting the model of EV for this trial.

We reviewed a range of EVs and the Ford E-Transit met more of the requirements for an operational vehicle with the ambulance service. It was the best fit for our mahi.

It can go from 0 to 100km/hour in 9.3 seconds – making it the fastest van in Australasia. With no gears, it exerts full power as soon as you accelerate. EVs are great hill climbers and regenerative braking means they can recharge as you drive.

Its battery range is up to 250km. However, this is the part we’re looking to test because range is very dependent on how the vehicle is driven and its load.

We will be evaluating all of this as we move through the trial. Drivers will also have undertaken specific EV driver training because these vehicles generate much more torque and an internal combustion engine, which enables impressive acceleration, maneuvering and driving responsiveness. The additional weight and position of the electric batter means a lower centre of gravity and excellent weight balance.

Its reliability is something we’re going to be putting to the test in the trial but because EVs have fewer parts to maintain they are generally very reliable and cheaper to maintain for the overall life of the vehicle. Routine servicing costs are reported to be half of an equivalent diesel-powered Ford transit.

Our metropolitan ambulances travel about 180km per shift so while we will need to test the EVs distance capabilities, we are confident it won’t run out of charge on shift and have allowed for a backup ambulance in the event something unexpected occurred.

In general, most EV cars typically have a 400km range in urban areas. We know the EV ambulance is likely to be less because of the weight of the vehicle with its high-tech medical equipment and patient load, as well as how fast it will be driven responding to an emergency.

Charging times depend on where you plug it in. The chargers installed at our HHSJ site in Hamilton will charge the vehicle in about two hours. If charged at a hyper-charger, it can take as little as 30 to 40 minutes.

We’re yet to find out exact costs but expect it to be considerably less than our fossil-fueled ambulances.

While current economic times are uncertain, we still need to deliver an emergency ambulance service and look at the best ways we can do this for our patients and our environment. We would be negligent if we didn’t continue our mahi towards achieving our sustainability goals.

However, we know that this may take time and we are open to exploring a range of funding streams to support this mahi.

We’re confident this will be a successful exercise regardless of the outcome. The learnings we gather will be invaluable in terms of what is needed to consider when sourcing vehicles in the future.

If we find this EV ambulance isn’t suitable for responding to emergencies on the frontline, we will look to repurpose it to other parts of our fleet such as into a Patient Transfer Ambulance or Health Shuttle.