Vauxhall Ampera Trialed as Ambulance in England

VauxhallVauxhallUnited Kingdom, 1857 > present31 models
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 is testing the AmperaVauxhall AmperaUnited Kingdom, 2011 > present3 versions
9 photos
1 video
as a rapid response ambulance in York, England. It is a test to see how low emissions vehicles can be used in emergency situations and is part of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service attempt to reduce its CO2 emissions 30% by 2015.

The Ampera ambulance uses the car's standard platform with the addition of a light bar, siren and driver information management system.

It will be the first time that an electrified vehicle will be trialed for the long term in the UK. 

“We are very excited to be the first ambulance service to trial an electric vehicle that will respond to incidents, reduce our emissions and provide significant savings on fuel costs," said Richard Smith, the Yorkshire ambulance fleet manger. 

While the Ampera is a series hybrid that uses a petrol engine to generate power for the batteries, the city of York will also begin installing an electric car charging network.