NEW electrically powered rapid response vehicles (RRVs) could save the NHS £2.5 million in fuel over four years.

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) will be one of the first in the country to introduce electric cars as part of their standard fleet.

RRVs are cars that have been converted into emergency response vehicles.

They are designed to be able to attend emergencies quicker than regular ambulances because they are smaller and can get through traffic more easily.

Although they don’t generally carry patients to hospital, they are staffed by a paramedic who is able to administer life-saving treatment at the scene of an emergency.

Neil Maher, assistant director service delivery support for North West Ambulance Service said: “The trust relies heavily on rapid response vehicles to be able to attend patients as quickly as possible.

“The introduction of these electrically powered cars will not only provide huge cost savings, it will also have a huge impact on our carbon footprint, reducing the carbon contribution by73 per cent.” Maintenance and lease costs are also reduced with the introduction of the new RRV model, with an overall expected annual saving of more than £4,300 per vehicle.

NWAS currently has 174 rapid response vehicles throughout the north west and will initially be introducing four electrically powered vehicles as a trial.

The trust will look to replace all RRVs with the new electric models gradually in the coming years once the life-span of the current vehicles comes to an end.

The four vehicles, initially being trialled in Bury and Rochdale, will be an updated version of the BMW i3 model which has won various awards including UK car of the year and green car of the year.

The BMW i3 REx AC model, which is already being used in police and fire services in the UK, is equipped with a system that can support the vehicle by extending the mileage range using a small petrol engine that can generate electricity for the battery.

This will only be used in extreme circumstances but will provide additional reliability for NWAS.

A number of electric charging points have been installed across the trust and the first vehicles are expected to be in operation by early April.