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Ambulance chiefs in London are evaluating a new generation of lightweight carbon fibre bodies as part of their latest, £2-million order for Mercedes-Benz accident and emergency units.
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is leasing 65 Sprinter 416CDIs, all of which have automatic transmissions and powerful common-rail direct injection diesel engines.
The new Sprinters will line up alongside 130 other Mercedes front-line units, which the Trust has bought over the last couple of years. They are now providing Londoners with 999 cover from a network of 70 ambulance stations.
London Ambulance is gradually replacing its previous LDVs with Mercedes Sprinters – with its 4.6-tonne gvw, twin rear wheels and 156bhp engine, the 416CDI is now the UK’s most popular a&e chassis.
When the last of the new batch of 65 units has entered service, the three-pointed star will account for more than half of the Trust’s 395-strong front-line fleet. The next order for a further 65 vehicles will also be placed shortly.
Like their predecessors, the latest vehicles are fitted with demountable box bodies. However, this is the first time that London Ambulance has turned to the Walsall, West Midlands-based specialist, MacNeillie & Son, to construct those bodies, and the first time that they have been air-conditioned.
Although the majority are manufactured from metal alloy, seven are of carbon fibre construction and therefore some 360kg lighter; these units are also fitted with solar roof panels.
London Ambulance Head of Fleet Colin Jolly explains: “Because the carbon fibre is very light we’re hoping to realise some useful fuel savings, while the solar panels should assist in keeping the batteries fully charged, which is always an issue with front-line ambulances.
“The same is true of brake wear. These vehicles are driven very hard and often used on ‘blue light’ dashes through some of the most congested streets in the world, so we’ve also specified these evaluation units with Telma transmission retarders, with the aim of extending brake life.”
Mr Jolly adds: “I’m not aware of any other ambulance service that’s operating carbon fibre-bodied units on Sprinters so our new Mercedes are at the cutting edge of technology. We will now be monitoring their performance in the field very closely.”
London Ambulance switched to Mercedes-Benz in 2003, after a wide-ranging evaluation exercise involving its crews. The Sprinter was chosen because it offered a winning combination of increased performance and improved fuel economy in comparison to the Trust’s V8 petrol-engined LDVs.
The ability of Mercedes-Benz to offer a fully automatic gearbox also played a crucial part in its decision, as did the Sprinter’s Glide-Rite air suspension. This offers greater shock absorption characteristics that that of previous vehicles, and is therefore beneficial to patients with spinal injuries.
The chassis are expected to give six years’ service but their bodies, which are also fitted with tail-lifts to help staff move patients in and out of the vehicle, should last twice as long and will be remounted on new chassis cabs.
Mr Jolly adds: “The Sprinter has lived up to all of our hopes and expectations. It’s popular with our crews, reliable and economical to run, and offers bags of performance, while the back-up from Mercedes-Benz has also been first rate.”
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