Lessons learned from healthcare and blue light organisations installing EV chargers

As the shift toward electric vehicles (EVs) accelerates, healthcare institutions and blue light organisations – such as police stations, hospitals and fire stations – have begun integrating EV charging infrastructure across their estates.

These efforts align with broader sustainability goals, aiming to reduce carbon emissions while supporting the growing number of EVs used by staff, patients, emergency responders, and visitors. However, deploying EV chargers in these critical environments has revealed unique challenges and lessons that have reshaped the approach to sustainable transport infrastructure in such settings.

What follows is a list of key insights gained from installing EV chargers at healthcare and emergency response facilities, with a focus on power management, traffic flow, air ambulance operations, and fleet readiness.

Ensuring consistent power supply in critical environments

A major challenge when installing EV chargers in hospitals, fire stations and police facilities is managing the balance between the facility’s critical power needs and the demands of the charging infrastructure. Healthcare facilities, in particular, cannot afford power disruptions, as many life-saving systems depend on uninterrupted electricity.

• Load management systems: Smart load management systems are essential in these environments, ensuring that EV chargers draw power without overwhelming the facility’s grid. For example, Blink Charging UK integrates intelligent power distribution systems, ensuring the hospital’s primary functions remain unaffected while EVs charge efficiently.
• Backup power solutions: While hospitals and emergency services have backup power generators for their operations, ensuring that EV chargers can also access a reliable secondary power source is key, particularly for charging electric ambulances or police vehicles during an extended power outage. This extra layer of redundancy ensures emergency services remain operational regardless of external factors.

Managing traffic flow and site safety

Emergency services facilities like police stations and fire departments are high-traffic environments with vehicles needing to respond to emergencies at a moment’s notice. It’s vital that EV chargers are installed in a way that doesn’t disrupt these operations.

• Strategic placement of EV chargers: At Blink Charging UK, we have worked closely with various organisations to assess and understand the flow of traffic across their sites, placing chargers in locations that do not obstruct emergency vehicle routes. For example, chargers at fire stations are typically installed away from the direct path of fire engines to prevent bottlenecks during critical operations.
• Clear signage and zoning: Ensuring EV charging points are clearly marked with signage helps avoid confusion among visitors and staff while keeping charging locations accessible without impacting operational traffic. Thoughtful design and communication can create charging zones that are both functional and safe.

Adapting to air ambulance emergencies

For hospitals equipped with helipads, the installation of EV chargers requires extra caution to avoid any interference with air ambulance operations.

• Placement considerations: A crucial lesson learned is the need to position EV chargers well away from helipads and flight paths. Protocols should be developed to ensure chargers are installed at safe distances, minimising the risk of disruption during helicopter landings or take-offs.
• Emergency protocols: Additionally, organisations have developed procedures with Blink UK, for example, to ensure that any EVs parked near helipads can be quickly relocated in the event of an air ambulance arrival, preventing delays in emergency medical transport.

Meeting the needs of emergency response fleets

Blue light organisations are increasingly electrifying their fleets, and this comes with specific demands for charging infrastructure. Police, fire and ambulance vehicles often need fast charging solutions that allow them to get back on the road quickly.

• Rapid charging solutions: Blink Charging UK provides fast-charging solutions for emergency vehicles, ensuring that critical services can recharge quickly between deployments. This is especially important for electric ambulances and police vehicles, where downtime between callouts must be minimised.
• Fleet management integration: Managing multiple EVs across a large estate can be complex. Fleet management systems offered by Blink Charging UK allow organisations to monitor and prioritise the charging of vehicles that need to be ready for deployment, ensuring all emergency vehicles are fully charged and available when needed.

Collaborating with power providers

Many healthcare and emergency services facilities have higher-than-average energy demands. This makes collaboration with local power providers essential to ensure the grid can handle the additional load of EV chargers without compromising facility operations.

• Grid assessments and upgrades: In several installations, Blink Charging UK has worked closely with local utilities to assess grid capacity and upgrade infrastructure where necessary. This proactive approach ensures that EV charging installations are sustainable and do not lead to power shortages or facility overloads.

The ‘right charger, right place’ ethos

A key lesson learned from the installation of EV chargers at healthcare and blue light facilities is the importance of tailoring the solution to the specific needs of the site. Blink Charging UK’s global ethos of ‘the right charger in the right place’ reflects a commitment to providing tailored solutions that meet the operational requirements of each facility.

• Charger selection: Not all sites require the same type of charger. Rapid chargers are essential for emergency vehicles that need to recharge quickly, while slower, more cost-effective chargers may be suitable for staff or visitor parking areas. By carefully considering the needs of each organisation, Blink can ensure that the right technology is deployed for maximum efficiency and convenience.
• Customised solutions: Because every site is unique, Blink works closely with hospitals, police stations, and fire stations to design custom charging solutions. From initial consultation and site assessments to installation and ongoing support, Blink offers a holistic service that ensures chargers are optimally placed and future-proofed against growing demand.

The transition to EV infrastructure in healthcare and blue light organisations has led to many insights and lessons learned. Managing power loads, ensuring smooth traffic flow, supporting emergency fleet operations, and adapting to unique challenges such as air ambulance landings are all vital considerations in these environments. Through careful planning, collaboration with local power providers, and the deployment of the right chargers in the right places, organisations can successfully integrate EV charging without compromising critical services.

Blink Charging UK’s ethos of ‘the right charger in the right place’ has been central to the success of supporting these organisations and helping them meet sustainability goals while ensuring operational readiness. A focus on providing appropriately tailored solutions has set a high standard for EV charger installations in these critical environments.

To read similar articles, check out our Sustainability channel.