East Midlands Ambulance Service takes on Kia e-Niros

The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) has replaced every one of its non-emergency patient transport service (NEPTS) cars in Derbyshire with the fully electric Kia e-Niro.

The move will reduce the trust’s emissions by 96 tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent (tCO2e) per year.

EMAS has now taken delivery of 16 of Kia e-Niros for patients in Derbyshire who need non-emergency medical or clinical support to get to and from their healthcare appointments.

Andy Watson, fleet assistant general manager for EMAS, said: "We’re really pleased to have been able to introduce these fully electric, zero-emissions vehicles to our fleet. With these vehicles now fully operational, we are immediately putting them into service as we respond to the needs of our patients."

Steve Farnsworth, Assistant Director of Operational Support at EMAS, said: “We are constantly evaluating the electric vehicle offering that is available, which is changing and improving with new products being launched year on year. These vehicles have an excellent range and the manufacturer is very much established in this field of technology.

“The car is capable of up to 282 miles when fully charged and our NEPTS vehicles complete 90 miles per day on average, meaning one charge should last a day without the need to charge again.”

This latest rollout of electric vehicles at EMAS is part of the organisation’s ongoing commitment to becoming a net zero trust by 2040.