WAS 500 Ambulance The 3.5 T Box Body Ambulance for Patient Transport

The trend towards lightweight box construction in emergency rescue is also becoming more and more prevalent in patient transport. The classic ambulance as a panel van is increasingly being replaced by a chassis with a box body. When procuring a new patient transport ambulance, or even an entire ambulance fleet, the box body’s comparatively cheaper purchase price for the basic vehicle is persuading buyers. In addition, once the base vehicle has reached its maximum permitted mileage, the box can be re-used on another vehicle chassis. An investment with room for improvement, given that, with advancements in medical technology, the requirements placed, for example, on stretcher systems are also becoming more demanding. The result of this is that technical and qualitative stipulations are increasing the weight and the dimensions of electro-hydraulic stretchers. Here, the lightweight box offers further benefits: it not only helps to cut down weight, so as not to exceed the generally stipulated maximum total weight of 3.5 t, but also guarantees more space within the patient compartment.

A base vehicle with a box construction, with the slim inner dimensions of 1960 mm width, 3200 mm in length and 1900 mm in height, results in a versatile ambulance, with plenty of room for both patient and crew. All that remains to be addressed is the housing of the equipment: in the case of the box body ambulance, scoop stretchers or combi-carriers are kept behind an access door on the outside of the vehicle, and are thus stored without any problem, outside of the patient compartment. The geometry of the panel construction even allows hassle-free storage space for other equipment, for instance, for use as an emergency ambulance, as the box construction has no shaped chassis design to be taken into consideration.