A busy NHS trust in Yorkshire has added a number of award-winning, all-electric Nissan Townstar vans to its fleet.
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has taken delivery of nine of the environmentally-friendly LCVs, with another five expected to arrive shortly.
The vehicles are being used by the trust’s security and estates teams, as well as carrying out important tasks such as transporting blood samples and delivering furniture and other bulky items to hospitals and surgeries in and around North Yorkshire.
The Trust is clearly a fan of electric Nissan vans – the Townstars are successors to a number of e-NV200s, the vehicle’s predecessor.
Philip Bland, Transport Manager at York Teaching Hospital Facilities Management, said range was the most important factor for the Trust when considering which electric vehicles to go for.
Townstar’s impressive combined range of up to 183 miles meant it was a clear favourite, with its handy side-loading door another key factor.
‘‘Townstar ticks every box for us, in the same way that e-NV200 did,’’ said Philip. ‘‘Aside from purely practical considerations, it’s a super vehicle and we get plenty of positive feedback from our drivers – they say it’s just like driving a car.
‘‘The vans are put to all sorts of uses – our skilled tradespeople such as joiners, plumbers and painters use them, as well as our CCTV teams and other colleagues. They need to be able to adapt to all kinds of uses – and they are excellent at doing that. We’re delighted with them.’’
Among the awards and accolades bestowed upon Townstar since launch, the van recorded an impressive double triumph at the 2024 What Van? Awards.
Townstar was named Compact Van of the Year, while the BEV version of the vehicle was awarded the title ‘Electric Van of the Year’.
Specialist services
Available with either a petrol or electric powertrain, the vehicle has been designed to future-proof business operations and accelerate the transition towards electrification.
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides a comprehensive range of hospital and specialist healthcare services for approximately 800,000 people living in and around York, North Yorkshire and Ryedale – an area covering 3,400 square miles. With eight hospital sites, the Trust has a workforce of around 10,000 staff.