UK Power Networks has launched a digital tool to help police, fire and rescue, and ambulance services plan the transition to electric vehicle fleets.
Called Blue Light, the tool was developed with emergency services to address the operational demands of decarbonising large and complex vehicle estates.
Assessing electrical capacity
A trial is now under way for 999 services. It is designed to provide early visibility of the electrical capacity available at individual sites and the potential impact of installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Fleet managers told UK Power Networks they needed to understand how much charging their sites could accommodate, how different electrification approaches might affect operations, and the likely costs and delivery timescales.
The tool is intended to help organisations examine options at an early stage, supporting discussions about investment, infrastructure and future network connections while maintaining operational resilience.
UK Power Networks said its team would continue gathering user feedback to inform the next phase of development and ensure the tool reflects customers’ operational requirements.
Industry collaboration
Luca Grella, head of innovation at UK Power Networks, said: “The tool will help emergency services plan the most operationally effective and cost-efficient route to transition their fleets to clean transport. We’ve worked closely with emergency services throughout to make sure the tool reflects the realities they face every day, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see that collaboration take shape in a practical, working solution.”
Martin Fitzjohn, strategic commercial solution manager at Police 7 Force Commercial Services, said: “We’re excited to be working with UK Power Networks on collaborative tools, such as the Blue Light project, enabling emergency services to understand energy constraints and potential resolutions and plan decarbonisation strategies appropriately.”