Toronto to slap solar panels on ambulances

Toronto announced Friday that it will retrofit its fleet of ambulances with solar panels and hybrid electric engines in order to reduce pollution in Canada’s largest metropolis.

The federal government, which has set a national target of slashing carbon emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 under the Paris Agreement, pitched in Can$1.1 million (US$830,000) for the upgrades.

The funding, the mayor and other officials said, will be used to install solar panels on the roofs of 215 ambulances and more than 60 emergency paramedic response units, powering critical on-board medical equipment.

It will also help pay for hybrid electric drivetrains in more than 100 ambulances to save fuel and cut emissions — for a total equivalent of removing some 2,900 cars off the road for one year. (AFP)