Staff at Maldon Hospital are now visiting and transporting their patients in battery-electric cars.
The rural hospital has received three Hyundai Kona Electric cars replacing the existing petrol and diesel models.
The initiative is part of a state government fleet conversion investment of $15 million for 400 ZEVs and associated charging stations over a two-year period.
Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards said Maldon Hospital is a vital part of the community and they’re proud to support the hospital’s staff and programs with this initiative.
The Kona’s have a 480km range which enables staff to make long trips for outpatient work or meetings without needing to charge en route, with dedicated charging stations located at Maldon Hospital.
Deputy Director of Nursing Peta Ballinger told the Mail that Maldon Hospital has been putting a number of sustainable initiatives in place.
“We’ve changed to a segmented waste system which includes, compost, soft plastic, recycling, and general waste,” Ms Ballinger said.
“We’ve also started a composting project with the residents. The aim is to have the least amount of general waste left to go off-site. “Shannon Uren our General Manager and Director of Nursing at Maldon Hospital has been a huge driver towards the hospital becoming more sustainable,” Ballinger said.
In addition to reducing emissions to make our towns, cities, and regions more liveable, the ZEVs will also deliver ongoing savings due to having lower maintenance and running costs than their petrol or diesel predecessors.
Minister for Energy Lily D’Ambrosio said it was a positive step forward.
“This is an important step towards ZEVs making up half of all light vehicle sales by 2030, part of our nation-leading climate action which will see us slash emissions by 50 percent by the same year,” she said.
To help spark community interest in the take-up of sustainable transport, the government will make the ZEVs available for public purchase at the end of their lease.
In addition to reducing emissions to make our towns, cities, and regions more liveable, the ZEVs will also deliver ongoing savings due to having lower maintenance and running costs than their petrol or diesel predecessors.
Victorian-based industry expert JET Charge is fast-tracking the government fleet’s transition as the contractor supplying and installing the charging infrastructure. The 7kW charging stations are manufactured in Victoria.
The government has also invested $19 million in grants to expand the publicly accessible fast-charging network, including several locations in the Maldon region.
Under the government’s $100 million ZEV Roadmap, more than 5,000 Victorians have taken up subsidies of $3,000 on the purchase of eligible ZEVs with sales in 2021 sales jumping 310 per cent.
