- £4 million worth of funding from the UK’s Department for Transport is to be received by England’s National Health Service, allowing it to roll out hundreds more EV charging sockets across its estates.
- The new chargers will allow the NHS to further electrify its 20,000-strong fleet of medical vehicles.
- This new £4 million boost brings the total amount of government investment into NHS EV charging infrastructure to £22 million.
NHS England to expand its electric fleet thanks to new chargers
The rollout of new chargers across NHS England sites thanks to this new funding will allow the health service to increase its electrification shift, including ambulances and other NHS fleet vehicles. The switch to electric vehicles is also expected to save the NHS millions on maintenance and fuel costs, which can be reinvested into frontline care. Areas such as London have already seen a strong rollout of electric NHS vehicles, but more regions are set to receive EV chargers under this new funding.
Research from 2018 also showed that around 25% of hospitals in England had local air quality that exceeded the World Health Organisation’s safe air pollution limits. So, on top of reduced running costs, an increasingly electrified NHS fleet should also help to clean up air quality in these areas.
The NHS is part of a growing list of emergency service fleets across the world that are making the transition to electric transportation. If safety and time-critical organisations such as this can operate electric vehicles, it once again proves their capabilities to the average car buyer.
Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, Keir Mather, commented:
“Backing the switch to electric for our NHS fleet will save our health sector millions and help to clean up 460 million miles worth of journeys across England – that’s good for taxpayers, patients, and our communities.
With over 116,000 public chargers now on UK roads, our investment is transforming the UK’s public charging network so more drivers can make the switch to electric with confidence.”
Chris Gormley, Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, added:
“Moving to electric vehicles is helping to make the NHS fit for the future – providing quick response times for patients and improving air quality around hospitals.
Thanks to this new funding and continued investment from the Government, more NHS trusts will also save on fuel and maintenance costs. Zero emission vehicles are expected to save the NHS tens of millions every year, which can then be reinvested directly into frontline care for patients.”
