All charged up and ready to go

Six new 100% electric vans have joined the 29-strong Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust vehicle fleet.

The new vans replace six petrol and diesel vehicles previously in use. They feature a slogan “We’re Cutting Carbon” and will be used by the Trust’s estates teams. They have a range of up to 200 miles on one charge, produce no emissions, and are cleaner and quieter for the environment, pedestrians, cyclists and their drivers, helping us connect 123 Trust locations with minimal impact on local air quality.

It follows an extended trial of two electric vehicles during which evaluation of performance data was carried out to understand the impact on the environment, how efficiently they ran, and overall running costs compared to traditional petrol or diesel.

Michael Owers, the Trust’s Deputy Head of Procurement, said: “Our logistics and domestic teams are vital in keeping the Trust performing well and delivering effectively. However, we know the impact our traditional vehicle fleet has on our shared environment. Our six new vans are trailblazers that use the very latest technology to provide increased mileage and battery life – so there is less ‘charge anxiety’ for our staff as they deliver supplies and services across our network.

“We are convinced that the move towards electric vehicles will have a huge positive effect on our environment whilst providing reduced running costs.”

Chris Hayes, the Trust’s Waste and Sustainability Manager added: “This significant investment by the Trust demonstrates our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and places us in a strong position to contribute to the ambitious national NHS Net Zero Carbon targets for cleaner transport. The first of these targets is to transition 90% of the NHS fleet to ultra-low and zero-emission vehicles by 2028.

“These new vehicles are seen as the first stage in our longer term drive towards net zero carbon transport and travel, going on to develop a charging network across Trust sites to promote and encourage electric vehicle uptake and use amongst staff, service users and visitors. This network will eventually cater for the transition of the Trust’s own fleet, but we also plan to offer electric pool cars for business use, provide charging facilities to increase uptake of salary sacrifice electric lease cars, and provide facilities for staff, service users and visitors’ own electric vehicles.

The replacement of these six vehicles now means 20% of the Trust’s fleet emits zero emissions and it is hoped this will reduce the Trust’s direct transport emissions by 26 tonnes of CO2 each year.