Ashwoods supplies first hybrid van to West Midlands Fire Service 24 October 2012

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) has become the first emergency service in the UK to adopt hybrid van technology from Ashwoods Automotive.

The service has bought an Ashwoods Hybrid Transit and Chris Beebee, fleet manager, says: "The aim is to significantly reduce the fuel and greenhouse gas emissions, while maximising financial savings."

Beebee says the new hybrid van is very straightforward to use. "Drivers don't have to think about plugging it in to charge up the batteries, or worry that vehicle may not have sufficient charge to complete the journey."

And he continues: "We get efficiency from the diesel engine when you need it, as well as from the electric motor, which gives extra assistance to the powertrain.

"If this vehicle proves to be successful – and it is looking good at the moment, even though it is early days – we'll hopefully purchase another one."

Beebee's Ashwoods Ford van is also one of the first of its kind to be fitted with the company's Lightfoot driver behaviour technology. The system claims to further reduce fuel usage, and Beebee says it is working for WMFS drivers.

"The system monitors the driver's performance, and we take a read-out of that data, which uses a red, amber, green system," he explains.

"What we have found so far is that drivers are thinking more about when they brake and accelerate, and the mpg figures are going up all the time. There are already far fewer red and ambers, and more greens."

Ashwoods hybrid drive technology is self-powered, storing energy when the vehicle slows and transferring it to the wheels via an electric motor. Beebee says it never needs plugging into a charging point and operators don't have to worry about the battery going flat.

West Midlands purchased the vehicle through the Department for Transport's Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme (LCVPP).

Author
BrianTinham

Related Companies
Ashwoods Electric Motors Ltd
Ford Motor Co Ltd

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