Winnebago has unveiled two new all-electric mobile healthcare units. A Mobile Lung Unit (eMLU) and an all-electric bloodmobile. The vans share the same chassis and have been developed in partnership with Motiv Power Systems.
The all-electric Mobile Lung Unit is powered by a Ford F-53-based all-electric chassis (EPIC 6) from Motiv and features the Samsung NeuroLogica BodyTom Elite, a portable full-body, 32-slice CT scanner. The eMLU is wrapped with the American Lung Association and Ad Council’s “Saved by the Scan” initiative to promote early detection of lung cancer via screening.
Winnebago recently displayed the eMLU in San Francisco at the Global Climate Action Summit. The unit features:
- The world’s first portable, battery-powered, full-body, 32-slice CT scanner, BodyTom, featuring an innovative internal drive system that can be easily transported.
- Motiv Power Systems all-electric/zero-emissions EPIC chassis, removing the need to idle an engine.
- Enough charge for eight hours of service plus round-trip travel to and from its home facility.
- Vehicle charges to half its full capacity in two hours and 75% of capacity in four hours.
- Vehicle has completed significant road testing and delivers an expected range of 85 to 125 miles on a full charge.
Winnebago gives aggressive cost savings for the eMLU versus a diesel-fueled counterpart at $150,000 to $200,000 over the unit’s lifetime and a return on investment for the unit at three years.
In addition to the eMLU, Winnebago has been showcasing an all-electric chassis at the MObile Health Clinics Forum in Cleveland, Ohio. This vehicle will be the first all-electric eBloodmobile for North America. It’s goal is to eliminate the need for all-day idling for operations during blood drives for donations. When fully equipped, the eBloodmobile will have four patient beds, two interview rooms, a small waiting area, and a small recovery area. The eBloodmobile was designed to have enough battery power to complete eight hours of server plus round-trip travel of up to 125 miles.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.