The ambulance business became electric with its new fleet

DoCoGo, a technology and mobile healthcare organization working on epidemics in cities across the United States, recently announced All new electric ambulances.

“It’s the first of its kind and will be transporting patients to New York soon. It’s one-tenth as polluting as a normal gasoline ambulance, and marks DocGo’s first step toward ‘zero emissions’, the company’s sustainability mission to build an all-electric fleet by 2032, “said President Anthony Capone.

While New York City may be where DocGo’s current fleet has the largest footprint of about 100 vehicles, the company also operates in many U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Nashville. Also, they are now in Canada and the UK, working with the NHS in specific cities from Newcastle to London.

“Electric vehicles are the wave of the future, and it was inevitable that they would come to the emergency transport market. I appreciate that Dokgo supported my initiative to introduce EV ambulances in the United States,” said Don Fitzgerald, national director of Dokgo who oversees the transfer of EVs. Done.

The ambulances in Dockgoor’s fleet in the United States are designed using Ford transit chassis and in the United Kingdom with the help of Renault Master – both van-style vehicles adapted for medical use. Capone is keen to get these vehicles out as soon as possible but supply chain problems, as a result of the epidemic, have slowed progress a bit, he said; From materials in the backorder to labor shortages, last year, the auto industry faced many manufacturing challenges. However, he is hopeful that these deficits will be less hampered in the next 12 to 18 months and that they will be able to expand their fleet faster.

After the outbreak, Capone said that while many other ambulance companies were closing their doors, DocGo was profitable and growing because of their technology, which maximizes the number of EMT calls (including route optimization) and thus, with more visits, The company is able to earn more – profits shared with employees. Capon explains that EMTs pay a base and are then encouraged to respond to more calls in a timely manner; This is at the top of most payments because of the company’s ability to use technology to respond to more calls.

This combo has helped them endure the last two years, which was a testing time for similar initiatives across the country, forcing leading ambulance companies of all sizes, from small, part-time volunteers, to close their doors to more powerful businesses. .

Now, with rising gas and diesel prices, the move to EV is not only about the company’s mission, but also meaningful, Capone said. Leaving a unit running lazily is expensive and not very eco-friendly, frankly, he says.

Also, this push for electrification has helped the company expand. While Dokgo was bidding for ambulances of choice in certain cities in the UK, they found that companies using electric fleets and pushing for greater stability, the government saw them favorably, giving them more points in the bidding process.

There is still an imperfection, Capone admits. DocGo, so far, has focused on urban areas, whether in the United States or abroad, as the range of electric vehicles is still limited. It won’t work in their Texas market, for example, he shares where the average trip is about 40 miles – far enough to allow charging times in the run. That said, this is a practical solution where distances are shorter in the intervening time. This is until charging is faster and the range is longer: this could mean electrification of ambulances across the country.