Health service to save millions with boost to electrify NHS fleet

England's health service will receive a £4 million extension to the Department for Transport's Chargepoint Accelerator Scheme to install hundreds of electric vehicle charging sockets for NHS fleets, while government figures report a record 116,052 public EV chargers across the UK.

The government has announced a £4 million extension to the Department for Transport's Chargepoint Accelerator Scheme to roll out hundreds of electric vehicle charging sockets for NHS fleets in England. The move builds on earlier funding that supported delivery of over 1,000 charging sockets and follows recent grants from the Department for Health and Social Care. Officials say the funding will help modernise parts of the health service's roughly 20,000-vehicle medical fleet and reduce fuel and maintenance costs. New reporting also shows a record 116,052 public chargers now in place across the UK. Key details: - The £4 million extension is aimed at installing hundreds of additional charging sockets for ambulances and other fleet vehicles under the Chargepoint Accelerator Scheme. - Total government investment in charging infrastructure cited in the announcement is £22 million, including recent grants to trusts of £10 million and earlier awards of £8 million. - The funding is described as supporting modernisation of some of the health service's 20,000 strong medical vehicle fleet and helping to decarbonise an estimated 460 million miles of travel per year. - Government and NHS sustainability officials said savings on fuel and maintenance from zero-emission vehicles are expected to be redirected to frontline care, and a figure of tens of millions in annual savings was referenced. - New official figures report 116,052 public chargers across the UK, using a metric that counts individual chargers rather than multi-socket devices. Summary: Officials say the funding will enable further installation of chargers for NHS fleets and aims to lower running costs and emissions while supporting ongoing fleet modernisation. Undetermined at this time.