Excerpts from Jems.com:
Demers Ambulances, a leading North American manufacturer of ambulance vehicles and The Lion Electric Company (NYSE: LEV) (TSX: LEV) (“Lion” or the “Company”), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, unveiled today the Demers eFX Ambulance, the first all-electric and purpose-built ambulance.
This new model of ambulances, scheduled to be commercialized in the second half of 2022, was developed with the support of the government of Quebec and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). It is the result of nearly five years of collaborative work carried out by Demers Ambulances and Lion, which also involved direct input from many paramedic technicians and emergency medical service companies. The Demers eFX Ambulance is the first ambulance designed according to the needs expressed by paramedics.
The Lion5 chassis of the Demers eFX Ambulance will be assembled in Saint-Jérôme by Lion, while the medical compartment and final assembly will be carried out by Demers Ambulances in Beloeil. The new 100% electric ambulance will be sold throughout North America, and eventually worldwide, as ambulances sold by Demers and its affiliated brands are already in service in 43 countries. This exclusive mutual agreement between Lion and Demers contemplates the deployment of at least 1,500 100% electric ambulances over the next five years by Demers Ambulances.
In addition to being a pioneer in the energy transition of ambulance transport, the purpose-built electric ambulance will also make it possible to achieve significant gains in the ergonomics, safety and efficiency of paramedics, in addition to improving their overall comfort and that of their patients.
In an industry first, the ambulance will be equipped with a custom-designed chassis for use as an ambulance. The research and development teams of Demers Ambulances and Lion have completely redesigned the living space of the two sections of the vehicle and rethought the ergonomics and layout of the ambulance as we know it.
Some of the main challenges that paramedic technicians frequently face are the ability to maneuver freely while the ambulance is in motion to provide care to the patient while sitting with a seatbelt fastened. The Demers Ambulances’ research and development team, supported by numerous paramedics consulted throughout this process, has developed many innovative features which will be unveiled prior to certification and start of vehicle production.
thanks Martin
#1 by crabbymilton on November 10, 2021 - 7:04 AM
Very well said Drew. Some concerns though would a charge at the hospital be enough time? One would think that they would want them back in service in short order but I digress. As John said to the effect, some extremely busy companies will constantly getting calls and one second away from plugging the thing in when another call comes in. Perhaps later versions will have a small enough but same or better capacity battery where one could swap it in a few seconds but we’re not there yet. As far as looks, they were asking for a purpose built ambulance for many years so I guess it’s just a matter of personal taste. The FORD chassis can be had with BEV and likely will migrate to ambulance applications so they would share components with gasoline or diesel counterparts. But the bottom line is that when someone is sick or injured, they are not likely to care what is propelling the thing let alone what it looks like.
#2 by Drew Smith on November 9, 2021 - 1:00 PM
Whether we like it our not this will be the future. How fast it occurs is yet unknown. The people who design these vehicles, who usually are not responders, always want to make them look futuristic which is a turn off for many responders. I predict that an EV or hybrid with a more traditional look will be embraced better at least in the near future.
Ambulances don’t require the horsepower that engines and trucks require. An EMS incident has a built in recharge period when at the hospital. The logistics of adding charging stations at each hospital will be interesting as well as how the electricity is then paid for. Many hospitals are challenged to manage the emissions of running ambulances and this is also a solution to that. Everything that the patient care area needs runs in electric so that’s a plus too.
All-electric ambulances are a better first step than all-electric fire apparatus.
#3 by Phil Stenholm on November 8, 2021 - 8:05 AM
Mesa, AZ, is a big city (population 500,000+) with a pro-business conservative Republican mayor and city council, so this isn’t some socialist left-wing government going all-electric.
Arizona is a right-to-work state whose residents are generally anti-taxes, but they are willing to be taxed (within reason) for certain services provided by the local government for which they directly receive the benefit (police, fire, parks, schools, streets, sanitation, and library).
And while Mesa firefighters are unionized, they don’t have a lot of leverage, and so the fire department is free to try innovations without getting significant resistance from its firefighters.
Mesa F. D. is a busy fire department, but it will be placing its all-electric engine in service at a new fire station being built on the east side of Phoenix-Gateway Airport on the far east side of town.
It should be a fairly slow firehouse, with probably 90% of its runs being EMS calls for traffic collisions and medical emergencies involving its many retired residents, with an occasional vehicle fire on the San Tan Freeway, an automatic alarm here and there, and maybe a run into Phoenix-Gateway to back up the airport fire station when necessary. They have maybe one or two working fires in that part of town every year.
#4 by John Antkowski on November 7, 2021 - 4:55 PM
I agree with crabbymilton, it is still to soon for all electric. With fast pace of the Fire service and pre-hospital care world, electric vehicles would be a nightmare. I worked for Milwaukee fire and a busy company like Engine 13 or Engine 36 who both combined take about 6-7 thousand runs a year so that’s on the average of 15-20 a day. I don’t see when you are going to have time to re-charge the batteries. Same for the paramedic system. I’m still on the fence. Just saying. Not ruling it out yet, but it’s just pushing the green thing a bit much.
#5 by Joe Smith on November 6, 2021 - 4:01 PM
I take “all electric” as an indication that there is no backup generator on board. This means that there will need to be sufficient downtime between runs for recharging of the battery pack. This may work in some applications, but not with the high volume of calls experienced by many fire department EMS units.
#6 by Crabbymilton on November 6, 2021 - 11:09 AM
We still have to generate electricity. Since we don’t use the most logical form of generation called nuclear in large numbers, fossil fuel will continue to be the main form. So while there are exhaust pipes on. BEV’s the power plants will increase emissions. Even so, they have been saying that we are destroying the world with fossil fuel as long I have been on this planet for 57 years. Diesel engines are cleaner than ever now. Yes try the BEV’s in non emergency applications first. Don’t play with people lives and property as an experiment.
#7 by Michael m on November 6, 2021 - 10:46 AM
We have to try something. Our climate is screwed up and getting worse. My concern is someday Florida and cities along the entire Gulf Coast will be under water. Hard to know what is really going to happen given how biased the media can be. Are there going to be places like deserts that people won’t be able to live in the future probably. Phoenix and Vegas are already hot and dry and getting hotter and dryer. Come on those cities are in the desert. Just food for thought.
#8 by Crabbymilton on November 6, 2021 - 10:24 AM
Let’s not forget that diesel locomotives came to be because steam was costly, impractical and temperamental. The BEV movement while shows promise is led by a powerful lobby of shortsighted and crazy people who think the internal combustion engine is evil.
#9 by Mike C on November 6, 2021 - 10:16 AM
Spot on Mike hellmuth!
I actually think electric is the future although I’m not sure it brings the benefit that many think. Will our power grid even support all these electric vehicles?
I think Elon Musk needs to design fire apparatus with solar panels on the roof!
#10 by Mike hellmuth on November 6, 2021 - 10:04 AM
This electric revolution is either going to be a boom or a bust! It will never take the place of the great sound of a Detroit or Cummins…….
#11 by Crabbymilton on November 6, 2021 - 9:13 AM
Well it looks futuristic so it’s neither ugly nor beautiful. I hope for sake of any department, private ambulance operator, and above all the patients being transported, that this thing works. Fact is that there is more or less a BEV version of the FORD E SERIES and FORD isn’t pushing it for ambulance duty not yet anyway. They better just try it for non emergency uses for now. Ambulances require tons of electricity to begin with. Hope it has a generator on board.
#12 by Mike C on November 6, 2021 - 8:28 AM
Could they have made it a little better looking?