News

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS), in partnership with O&H Vehicle Conversions, has successfully delivered the UK’s largest fleet of fully electric non-emergency Patient Transport Service (E-PTS) vehicles to date. The fleet of 35 vehicles, built on the Ford E-Transit platform, marks a significant step towards Ambulance Trusts and converters working together to deliver NHS net zero objectives around carbon reduction.

With the aim of achieving Net Zero by 2040, the NHS is focusing on an 80% reduction in directly controlled emissions between 2028 and 2032.

To support this target, from 2027, all new NHS vehicles must be zero-emission, with the exception of frontline emergency ambulances, which are set to transition by 2030. This phased approach underpins a wider strategy to reduce NHS emissions, including utilising pathfinder projects, to prove new technologies and incorporate them into current and future specifications.

“Decarbonising our fleet is a priority for the Trust in the coming years. Our latest step towards Net Zero is the non-emergency E-PTS vehicles coming into service.

“In the future, when we turn our attention to our emergency fleet, we’ll need to balance the environmental and operational needs of our busy emergency ambulances to ensure patients continue to receive the care they need. The introduction of ECOAir is an innovative step in the right direction to support Net Zero and we look forward to continuing to work with O&H on further developments.”

Jeff Gott, Head of Fleet Services at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Achieving these targets presents a challenge for Fleet Managers, NHS Trusts, converters and the private sector organisations which support them. However, through collaboration and integrating new technologies, many of these challenges offer the opportunity for innovation, to improve efficiencies, ergonomics and safety in current and future vehicles.

O&H’s E-PTS vehicles alongside their latest innovation, ECOAir, encapsulates this.

Optimising range and performance

As with all EVs the first questions are ‘range’ and ‘speed of charging’- ensuring that the vehicle can effectively meet operational demands. To maximise and preserve battery performance, all auxiliary systems in O&H’s E-PTS vehicles, including energy efficient lighting and heating in the saloon, are powered by separate auxiliary lithium-ion batteries, ensuring that 100% of the Ford traction battery is retained to maximise range.

Additionally, O&H has incorporated advanced, energy-efficient technologies, such as a redesigned heating system for the rear of the vehicle. The system features embedded infrared panels that use seat pressure sensors to detect when passengers are seated, heating only the individual and their immediate surroundings, improving heating efficiency by up to 60% compared to traditional convection.

Integrated high-voltage solar panels can also be used to provide a continuous charge to the auxiliary batteries. This feature not only enhances energy efficiency but also significantly reduces the time required to charge the auxiliary batteries. Utilising the latest high-voltage panels offers continuous charging even under artificial light.

Together, O&H’s Ford E-Transit E-PTS vehicle – which is already in service with a private sector PTS organisation – is providing a full day of operational service with 130 miles range froma single charge. When charging is necessary, the E-Transit platform supports DC fast charging, allowing the batteries to charge from 10% to 80% in just 37 minutes.

Supporting Net Zero with ECOAir

To meet NHS carbon targets requires ambulance services to do more than phase in electric vehicles over the coming decade, but a concerted effort to provide greater efficiencies and innovation in vehicles already in operation or due to enter service over the coming years.

Presently, double crewed ambulances (DCAs) generate 102 kilotonnes of CO₂ annually – over half the NHS fleet’s emissions. Prolonged idling, often up to 4.5 hours per shift at hospital loading bays or at scene, significantly contributes, releasing CO₂, NOx, and carbon monoxide. Idling also comes at a significant financial cost through wasted diesel consumption.

Currently DCAs require the vehicle’s engine to be running for the air conditioning in the rear to operate.

To provide a solution, O&H has developed ECOAir. Debuting at this year’s Emergency Services Show (ESS), ECOAir is a compact, lithium-ion battery powered, standalone unit that provides air conditioning for up to 4.5 hours with the engine off, producing zero tailpipe emissions. The unit also effectively addresses the other major challenges associated with engine idling, including:

• Engine coking and ultimately engine failure.
• Increased engine wear through engine oil dilution.
• Vehicle fire risk.
• Providing a clean air solution to run the vehicles air conditioning, which in turn reduces DCA fuel consumption.

Recognising the benefits from the prototype unit fitted to one of their new 2024 DCAs, Yorkshire Ambulance Service has already ordered 73 DCAs for 2025 delivery incorporating ECOAir, with NHS England and other Trusts evaluating their use of ECOAir, including the ability to retrofit the unit into their existing fleet.

“I’d like to thank Yorkshire Ambulance Service for entrusting its largest electric ambulance order to date to both us and our OE partners for this project at Ford. I’d also like to recognise the outstanding innovation by the design engineers in both our businesses. All of us at O&H are proud to be supporting the NHS Net Zero Transport Strategy and its ambitious goal of all new ambulances having zero carbon emissions by 2030, in just 5-years’ time.”

Mark Brickhill, Managing Director at O&H.

The successful deployment of the UK’s largest fleet of fully electric Patient Transport Service vehicles, alongside innovative solutions such as ECOAir, highlight the significant progress being made towards achieving the NHS’ Net Zero target. With electric vehicles expected to reach full purchase price parity with ICE in 2027, it marks the start of a continued to shift to a more efficient future that supports environmental, patient care and crew objectives.

Discover all the details about our E-PTS on our Electric Patient Transport Service page!