How do I calculate emissions from a hospital's ambulance fleet?
Add the diesel bought for your own ambulances at 2.68 kg CO2 per litre, from fuel cards or invoices, and report it as Scope 1. Ambulances hired with drivers from an operator are Scope 3. Track litres per vehicle, since run time on site and idling add up.
Which scope
- Ambulances you own or lease and run with your drivers: Scope 1.
- Ambulances supplied with drivers by an operator: Scope 3, Category 1.
- Patient transport arranged and paid by patients: outside your inventory.
Data to keep
Fuel card statements or invoices per vehicle, and the logbook distance. Litres from fuel records beat distance estimates.
Medical oxygen and refrigerants
Oxygen cylinders are a purchased good in Scope 3. AC refrigerant top-ups in the vehicles are Scope 1.
Worked example: three ambulances (one year, illustrative inputs)
- Diesel: 2,400 litres x 2.68 = 6,432 kg CO2
- Distance driven: 24,000 km
- Per km: 6,432 / 24,000 = 0.268 kg CO2
Litres and distance are illustrative; use fuel card statements.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads fuel invoices and fuel card statements (diesel 2.68 and CNG 2.69 kg CO2, IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 record. Hired transport goes to the Scope 3 evidence trail, and distance or tonne-km estimates are labelled as estimates.
Sources: GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy (fuel defaults)
Last reviewed 2026-10-21.