Presque Isle is 1st Northern Gentle hospital to make use of electrical upkeep vans
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Northern Gentle Hospital has leased two electrical vans for his or her upkeep crews to make use of on the job.
The hospital’s upkeep staff travels round Presque Isle and the encircling cities to work at Northern Gentle’s outpatient amenities in Fort Fairfield and Caribou, together with a nursing dwelling in Mars Hill.
Northern Gentle is trying into an all electrical courier van fleet in Aroostook County, however timing has not been determined, in response to Jesse Renaud, affiliate vp of Help Companies at AR Gould in Presque Isle.
Northern Gentle AR Gould Hospital is the one hospital within the Northern Gentle system that has leased two Ford F-150 Lightning EV vans as a part of its common fleet of upkeep autos.
“We’ve got confirmed that [the EV trucks] can work positive within the winter up right here, so we actually don’t have any reservations concerning the chilly climate local weather and an EV,” Renaud mentioned.
An integral a part of the EV program for the hospital is to make use of an electrical automobile fleet to realize Northern Gentle’s emission discount purpose of fifty p.c by 2030. Northern Gentle plans to realize web zero emissions by 2050 as a part of its Well being Sector Pledge to scale back emissions.
Present information for the way the electrical autos match into their emission discount targets wasn’t instantly accessible as a result of Northern Gentle remains to be compiling its information on its EV vans for this 12 months.
The Ford F-150 Lightning vans have been leased in February and March 2023 for 4 years at a decrease charge in comparison with what most individuals pay for them, in response to Renaud.
Renaud declined to say how a lot the EV vans leases price.
The EV vans are plugged into two of the 4 Degree 2 chargers put in on the hospital at night time and through the day when the autos aren’t being utilized by the upkeep crew.
Most vary for the EV vans on a single cost is 230 miles on common, which is lowered to about 115 miles in colder winter temperatures.
The Ford F-150 Lightning vans are all-wheel drive with twin motors that don’t require as a lot upkeep as a result of they don’t have oil or gas filters that want altering. Upkeep prices are estimated at $2,500 per 12 months for each vans, Renaud mentioned.
“For almost all of the [maintenance crew, it] was the primary time that they had ever pushed an EV and I feel they have been fairly impressed with the burden distribution of the automobile,” Renaud mentioned.
In December 2022, Northern Gentle Pharmacy launched 4 new electrical Chevy Bolt EUV autos to their supply fleet in and across the Bangor space.
