New electric vehicle charging facilities unveiled at Hull Royal
It comes after funding was secured from the Government
Hull Royal Infirmary is poised to enhance its sustainability efforts by establishing one of the largest emergency vehicle charging facilities located on an acute hospital site.
The chargepoint expansion follows a substantial £733,000 funding award from the Department for Transport, as part of the Chargepoint Accelerator Scheme aiming to increase electric vehicle usage across the NHS.
Overall, the initiative includes a £10 million investment nationally to boost NHS fleet vehicle infrastructure, promising significant savings of £59 million in fuel and maintenance costs across the UK.
The NHS Humber Health Partnership plans to utilise the funding by installing eight fast-charging stations specifically for ambulances arriving at Hull Royal Emergency Department, plus two additional charging points for ambulances and electric vehicles at Castle Hill’s Cardiology unit.
New EV chargers said to be an exciting venture
Additionally, the project involves upgrading existing charging facilities at the Sterile Services unit and setting up four solar and wind-powered charging stations at the Day Surgery unit at Castle Hill.
Marc Beaumont, Head of Sustainability and Social Value, highlighted the importance of the initiative.
"This exciting venture is also tied into the wider Future Electric Vehicle Energy Networks supporting Renewables (FEVER) programme - supported by researchers at universities in Sheffield, Surrey, Portsmouth, and Southampton," Beaumont said.
"Its aim is to develop hybrid off-grid charging stations for electric vehicles, with long-term storage solutions to take us through the winter months - allowing us to self-generate everything we need to power our vehicles."
It'll generate less pollution
Beaumont revealed that 16 of the current fleet of 19 internal combustion engine vehicles will be replaced with electric vehicles this year, anticipating fuel cost savings exceeding £23,000.
"Supporting our ambulance service colleagues with fast-charging facilities benefits patients, visitors, and staff on our sites, as well as the wider community.
This will contribute to cleaner air, as these vehicles will generate less pollution while travelling around and will eliminate idling engines at our A&E or Cardiology unit," Beaumont added.
While the funding did not extend to North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG) in this round, Beaumont affirmed continued efforts to apply for similar schemes to expand the technology across other sites.