BELOEIL, QUE. -- Two Quebec companies unveiled their first 100 per cent electric ambulance on Monday.
With financial support from the federal and provincial governments, Lion Electric and Demers Ambulances worked together for the past five years to develop the Demers eFX ambulance.
Lion Electric will build the chassis and batteries, which will be assembled at its plant in Saint-Jérôme. Ambulance Demers has worked on the reconfiguration of the medical compartment and will be responsible for the final assembly.
The vehicle is expected to be operational in the second half of 2022. The two companies are targeting the deployment of at least 1,500 ambulances over the next five years. Demers eFX will initially be marketed in North America, but could be marketed globally in the future, says Demers Ambulances, whose vehicles are already in service in 43 countries.
The design of a custom chassis allowed Demers Ambulance to rethink the configuration of the ambulance's interior. The company consulted with "numerous" paramedics, it said, to achieve significant ergonomic and safety gains that would allow ambulance technicians to maintain their freedom of movement while strapped in and providing care.
"The Demers eFX will limit ergonomic problems and the risk of accidents in the vehicle while on the move," said Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé. "This is an important gain that combines safety and innovation for patients and health care workers."
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 18, 2021.
