Funding and skills are the key barriers for the transition to electric vehicles across the emergency services sector, a session at the Fleet Electrification Forum revealed.
The session was led by transport journalist and consultant Paul Hutton, in conversation with Effie Vraka, EV Charging Solution Architect at the Metropolitan Police, and Anda Baumerte, Sustainability Manager at the West Yorkshire Police.
Vraka said that the sector had “zero risk appetite” in the transition, and the “performance needs to meet the previous ICE performance or event better”. She added that it wasn’t possible for blue lights to get the shift 80% right, it had to be 100%, or there was risk to the public.
Baumerte agreed, and added that the biggest challenge was funding which was “the main barrier in everyone’s minds to the transition”.
“There are very few organisations with the capacity and time to make it happen. Funding and skills are the key barriers. If these are overcome, then electrification is possible.”
Both also spoke about the critical role of collaboration across emergency services in delivering decarbonisation of their fleets. Vraka highlighted how the Met was using the shared EV charging infrastructure from Islington LBC’s depot for its own fleet, which had ensured performance didn’t drop as a result.
Baumerte added that one of the “key positives of the public sector is that we can come together”, and showcased the work on sharing of telematics data across the police, fire and ambulance services on electrification to offer insights which were valuable for all.
