There’s trouble in the Big Smoke.That’s because Canada’s largest city was forced to pull 120 hybrid EV ambulances — a third of its fleet — off the road after retrofitted drivelines on two of the units failed at “highway speeds” rendering them inoperable.City News reported a patient was onboard one of the two ambulances but was uninjured. The incidents reportedly occurred in July of 2022 and the second a year later.An internal memo advised paramedic fleet technicians to disconnect the hybrid system on modified ambulances as a precaution while forensic engineers came in last month to inspect the fleet.“While we await further findings from the forensic engineering team, as a proactive measure, all XL hybrid ambulances will be swapped out in the coming days with spare units. In addition, efforts to return XL hybrid ambulances to original equipment manufacturer specifications will be expedited,” the memo said..In August of 2020 the city spent $2.8 million to much fanfare to install solar panels on 275 units and put in hybrid-electric drivetrains to replace gasoline powered units..The problem is the manufacturer that made the systems has since gone out of business and needed repair parts are no longer available.It comes after the union representing Toronto paramedics issued a “code red” alert on October 5 claiming there weren’t enough ambulances in the city to respond to emergency calls.According to the union's website, Toronto Paramedic Services faced code red 1,139 times in 2021 and now apparently, they know the reason why.“If the Toronto City Council doesn't invest in paramedics and commit to delivering better care, there will continue to be less paramedics available, leading to longer ambulance wait times and in many cases, reach status 'code red' when there are no ambulances available to respond to a 911 call,” the union wrote. .It was all part of its ‘TransformTO’ pledge to be net-zero by 2050..In August of 2020 the city received $1.1 million to much fanfare from the federal government to install solar panels on 275 units and put in hybrid-electric drivetrains to replace gasoline powered units and chipped in another $1.7 million of its own money.It was all part of its ‘TransformTO’ pledge to be net-zero by 2050.In a press release from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on August 21 of that year, the department — headed by current Energy and Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson — touted the solar panels as having a 20-year service life while the hybrid drivetrains were meant to last 12 years.“The City of Toronto’s paramedic services is the largest municipal ambulance fleet in Canada. This retrofit project promotes the best-in-class technologies and standards toward a clean-growth community for other Canadian municipalities,” it said.Meanwhile, the city told local media work is underway to convert vehicles to original operating systems to ensure they operate safely. It said there has been no impact to the public as a result of those vehicles being removed from service.“Toronto Paramedic Services maintains our fleet to the highest standard. The hybrid drivetrain systems installed on affected Toronto Paramedic Services ambulances no longer meet this stringent standard and have been removed from service as a precaution to protect paramedic and public safety,” spokesperson Dineen Robinson said in a statement.
There’s trouble in the Big Smoke.That’s because Canada’s largest city was forced to pull 120 hybrid EV ambulances — a third of its fleet — off the road after retrofitted drivelines on two of the units failed at “highway speeds” rendering them inoperable.City News reported a patient was onboard one of the two ambulances but was uninjured. The incidents reportedly occurred in July of 2022 and the second a year later.An internal memo advised paramedic fleet technicians to disconnect the hybrid system on modified ambulances as a precaution while forensic engineers came in last month to inspect the fleet.“While we await further findings from the forensic engineering team, as a proactive measure, all XL hybrid ambulances will be swapped out in the coming days with spare units. In addition, efforts to return XL hybrid ambulances to original equipment manufacturer specifications will be expedited,” the memo said..In August of 2020 the city spent $2.8 million to much fanfare to install solar panels on 275 units and put in hybrid-electric drivetrains to replace gasoline powered units..The problem is the manufacturer that made the systems has since gone out of business and needed repair parts are no longer available.It comes after the union representing Toronto paramedics issued a “code red” alert on October 5 claiming there weren’t enough ambulances in the city to respond to emergency calls.According to the union's website, Toronto Paramedic Services faced code red 1,139 times in 2021 and now apparently, they know the reason why.“If the Toronto City Council doesn't invest in paramedics and commit to delivering better care, there will continue to be less paramedics available, leading to longer ambulance wait times and in many cases, reach status 'code red' when there are no ambulances available to respond to a 911 call,” the union wrote. .It was all part of its ‘TransformTO’ pledge to be net-zero by 2050..In August of 2020 the city received $1.1 million to much fanfare from the federal government to install solar panels on 275 units and put in hybrid-electric drivetrains to replace gasoline powered units and chipped in another $1.7 million of its own money.It was all part of its ‘TransformTO’ pledge to be net-zero by 2050.In a press release from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on August 21 of that year, the department — headed by current Energy and Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson — touted the solar panels as having a 20-year service life while the hybrid drivetrains were meant to last 12 years.“The City of Toronto’s paramedic services is the largest municipal ambulance fleet in Canada. This retrofit project promotes the best-in-class technologies and standards toward a clean-growth community for other Canadian municipalities,” it said.Meanwhile, the city told local media work is underway to convert vehicles to original operating systems to ensure they operate safely. It said there has been no impact to the public as a result of those vehicles being removed from service.“Toronto Paramedic Services maintains our fleet to the highest standard. The hybrid drivetrain systems installed on affected Toronto Paramedic Services ambulances no longer meet this stringent standard and have been removed from service as a precaution to protect paramedic and public safety,” spokesperson Dineen Robinson said in a statement.
