Decarbonising a large fleet is a monumental task.

A fleet as large, diverse and specialist as the NHS – now that’s a headache. Yet, unlike lots of companies, the NHS have seen that although reducing their carbon footprint carries a large cost at first, the benefits of doing so more than recoup the funds needed to make this leap. We're celebrating World EV Day on Monday and wanted to take the opportunity to commend the NHS on their recent green fleet developments!

Under the NHS Net Zero Travel and Transport Strategy which was committed to in the Health and Care Act 2022, the NHS recognised the threat that climate change to the health of the population and their ability to deliver service, thus setting a target of complete net zero by 2045, with an 80% reduction in carbon footprint by 2039. The NHS website acknowledges that their fleet is the second largest in the UK (behind Royal Mail) and that electrifying these vehicles will help to lessen the negative health impacts of pollution.

To manage this task, the NHS have set several milestones which will help them to measure progress:

• By 2026, sustainable travel strategies will be incorporated into their Green Plan.
• From 2027, all new vehicles owned and leased by the NHS will be zero emission vehicles (excluding ambulances)
• From 2030, All new ambulances will be zero emission vehicles
• From 2033, staff travel emissions will be reduced to 50% through shifts to more sustainable forms of travel, and the electrification of personal vehicles
• By 2035, all vehicles owned and leased by the NHS will be zero emission vehicles and all non-emergency patient transport services will be undertaken in zero emission vehicles.
• By 2040, the full NHS fleet will be decarbonised. All owned, leased and commissioned vehicles will be zero emission.
• By 2045, staff commuting and patient/visitor travel will also be zero emission.

Despite the process still being in its infancy, there are already vast efforts across the country to experiment with reducing the carbon footprint of various parts of the fleet. The NHS currently owns or leases more than 20,000 vehicles, of which 11% are currently zero emission.

Andrew Bradley, net zero travel and transport lead at the NHS, has said it will require a one-off investment of £100 million to fully electrify the NHS fleet, but that it would yield annual savings of up to £59 million in fuel, so the cost would be recouped swiftly. As well as this, they are accounting for the social benefits to population health and reduced road traffic and accidents, which have been calculated to be £235 million.

The roadmap for the future is set, but what changes have been made already?

There are seven ambulance trusts across the country where 21 zero-emission emergency vehicles are currently being tested, including 6 dedicated mental health response vehicles, cutting emergency response times down significantly in the areas where the trial is taking place.

Guys’ and St Thomas Foundation Trust has totally transformed the way it transports vital medical supplies. A twice-daily riverboat service brings operating theatre equipment along the River Thames, with the last-mile delivery to hospital sites from the boat terminal done by e-cargo bike!

London is far from being the only city with unconventional methods such as this, though. Oxford University Trust found the use of an e-cargo bike to transport chemotherapy increased reliability and efficiency whilst mitigating the effect of rush-hour traffic around the hospital site.

There are even trusts looking to the skies – not at planes, which are rarely used by the NHS outside of recruitment of new staff from overseas, but at drones! This autumn, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will also begin using electric, autonomous drones to deliver medical supplies.

The drones, called ‘Zips’, can travel up to 130 miles in almost any weather condition, and drop packages with parachutes that float down to a hospital’s outdoor area. They are supervised by trained aviation personnel who can track a Zip’s flight and intervene if necessary.

The innovations the NHS are implementing are diverse and widespread, with the initiative being a huge step by Europe’s largest employer to begin their journey to an entirely electric fleet and net zero carbon emissions.

Interested in joining the movement and getting your own carbon-neutral EV? CVM can help. Call us on 01489 880 050, or use our contact form here: https://bit.ly/cvm-contact-us