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Ambulances may not spring to mind when you think of commercial vehicles but this sector is highly competitive and Ambex, its annual showcase, is always packed with innovation. Bryan Jarvis headed for Harrogate to check out the latest contenders...
• This year's Ambex showed the extremely high standards to which health authority vehicles are built. In a good year this specialised sector Is worth about 1,000 vehicles, from fully equipped A&E ambulances and "walking wounded" transfer vehicles that can also take stretchers and wheelchair-borne patients, to paramedic 4x4s and motorcycles.
The A&E's are the real specials, capable of rapid 999 responses. They need to be crash, roll-over and vandal resistant with excellent ride and handling characteristics. Air suspension is very much the norm to enhance ride comfort, usually with a raise/lower capability to facilitate patient transfer.
Nowadays manufacturers are offering higher quality modular bodies with an extended service life that should see off two or even three chassis.