Saving Lives And The Environment: America's First All-Electric Ambulance

Mar. 07, 2022 8:11 PM ET by Jarryd Neves Electric Vehicles / 6 Comments

The E-Transit is the first of many EV ambulances for DocGo.

While the Mustang Mach-E continues its assault on the mainstream EV market, Ford's upcoming F-150 Lightning and the E-Transit should turn the commercial segment on its head. Deliveries of the electric Transit van have already begun, with ecologically-minded business owners across the country waiting on their examples. In fact, several examples have already been put to work in California's wine regions.

But now the Blue Oval's battery-powered van will do duty as the country's first-ever electric ambulance. The trailblazing emergency vehicle heralds a new era for DocGo, a mobile medical service provider. As the company aims to have an all-electric fleet in the next ten years, the E-Transit ambulance joins several hybrid vehicles already in the company's fleet.

According to DocGo, the all-electric ambulance is 1/10th as polluting when compared to a gas-powered example. What's more, the EV ambulance isn't burdened with hefty fuel bills or maintenance costs, potentially reducing patient transportation costs. The medical company partnered with Lightning eMotors, a specialist in sustainable fleet solutions, to create the new vehicle.

"We are honored to have had the opportunity to work alongside DocGo on this exciting initiative. In addition to being environmentally friendly, the drastic reduction in pollutants is better for the overall health of the patients being transported, said Nicholas Bettis, director of marketing and sales operations at Lightning eMotors." A ribbon-cutting celebration will take place in New York, to commemorate the first patient in the US to be transported in an all-electric ambulance.

The idea behind the all-electric ambulance is an admirable one. Often, US ambulance vehicles are based upon heavy, V8-powered commercial vehicles which aren't sustainable. The E-Transit provides all the power and torque needed, without polluting emissions. It's not the first time we've seen this idea, though. Volkswagen has previously teased an autonomous, all-electric ambulance based upon the ID. Buzz.

In the above-mentioned futuristic application, the autonomous abilities would allow both paramedics to tend to the patient, with the ambulance selecting the best route to the hospital and driving itself there. We've previously seen a Mustang Mach-E serve as one of the Big Apple's famed yellow cabs, but the E-Transit is certainly a first for the city and, indeed, the country. We'd be interested to see how the charging infrastructure works, though, as ambulances are often called into action at a moment's notice.