Navigating the transition to green fleets

As the world moves towards sustainability, the emergency services sector is exploring practical ways to transition fleets to zero-emission vehicles. For episode 4 of For Every Response, I spoke with Carl Christie, Senior Fleet Specialist at Cenex, about the key elements needed to make this shift and the barriers still standing in the way.

Carl played a central role in our Blue lights, green fleet report, which we published with Cenex in March. The report offers a detailed look at how emergency services can transition to electric fleets, and it formed the basis of our conversation.

Among the report’s findings: just 13% of emergency service fleets have adopted electric or hybrid vehicles. That figure may seem modest, especially compared to other sectors, but Carl pointed out that it marks a positive start considering the sector’s unique operational demands. He spoke about the willingness of services to adapt, despite challenges like insufficient infrastructure and the specialist nature of emergency response vehicles.

Scotland is leading the way, with its emergency services investing the most in electric fleets. Carl credited this progress to Scotland’s national service structure, which offers “one consistent voice and approach” across procurement, deployment, maintenance, and disposal. This consistency supports faster decision-making and offers lessons for services elsewhere in the UK. Carl also pointed to positive collaborations happening in England, such as among south west police procurement teams.

However, a major concern identified in the report is the lack of fully costed fleet transition plans for 2030. “Even if [financial limitations] didn’t exist,” Carl said, “many of the emergency services don’t currently have access to the type of data and information to develop their own full costed transition plans.” For meaningful progress, a more joined-up approach is needed—one that involves departments beyond fleet management and requires a cultural shift.

Infrastructure is another key challenge. “Most ambulance, fire, and police stations simply don’t have the power or space available to charge fleets of electric vehicles,” Carl explained. He stressed the need for early and strategic planning to build the charging capacity emergency services will require.

Funding is also critical. Carl argued that centrally funded capital investment could unlock progress across the board. “There would be significant benefit from a more centrally funded source of capital funding to accelerate plans,” he said. But without detailed, costed plans, services may struggle to secure or effectively use that support.

Carl wrapped up the conversation with clear advice for services beginning their transition.

“Get buy-in from senior leadership  but also from those who’ll be most impacted by the change, which is typically vehicle users and frontline operational staff.”

He also urged services to make better use of data to inform decisions.

Above all, he encouraged a mindset of openness and adaptability. Progress depends on services being ready to innovate and change how they operate.

The journey to greening emergency service fleets won’t be easy. But with expert guidance, clear planning, and collaboration across services, the path to a more sustainable future is within reach.

 Listen to the full interview using the link below or through your favourite podcast platform.