Hato Hone St John has announced the launch trial of Australasia’s first fully electric ambulance, which ASB Bank gifted to the organisation.
Action Manufacturing in Hamilton planned, designed and assembled the custom-built vehicle over two years.
The Ford E-Transit will be trialled over the next year to test its range and capabilities to see whether it’s a viable and sustainable option for Hato Hone St John to reduce its emissions.
Head of service improvement and sustainability, Dr Colin Tan, says that as an emergency ambulance service, Hato Hone St John sees first-hand the impact of severe climate events and is journeying to halving its emissions by 2030.
“We are the first emergency service in Australasia to trial the feasibility of an electric emergency ambulance,” says Tan. “A priority to achieving this is optimising and transitioning our fleet to electric vehicles, which are cleaner, quieter, and more economical to run.”
The electric emergency Ambulance joins St John’s fleet of more than 1300 vehicles.
