The Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) has deployed what is believed to be the first electric fire truck in North America.
Rosenbauer, an Austrian-based fire engine manufacturer, claimed to have built “the world’s first fully electric drive fire truck,” the Rosenbauer RTX.
Back in 2019, we reported on them bringing a prototype on a tour of North America to show it to some fire departments.
The Menlo Park Fire District was the first interested in the truck and aimed to secure the first order, but the LAFD ended first on the list in February 2020. They placed an order for the electric fire engine, which starts at $900,000, but the LAFD configured a version at $1.2 million.
They have recently received the truck and officially debuted it this weekend as it is now being introduced in the LAFD fleet of fire engines.
City of Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley commented on the new electric vehicle:
It will reduce noise, and bring it basically to nothing in regards to diesel emissions. We will actually create the space for our firefighters to be healthier around our fire engines.
Here’s her speech in full:
Rosenbauer says that its electric truck is equipped with a 360 kW electric powertrain and a 132 kWh battery pack, which is good for two hours of operation.
It is equipped with all the equipment you’d expect in a fire truck, including an up to 1,000′ 5″ hose and another reaching 1,000′ 2.5″:
The Rosenbauer RTX is also equipped with an adjustable air suspension that can provide between 7″ and 19″ of ground clearance.
It holds between 500 and 750 gallons in its water tank depending on its configuration, and its pump has a capacity of 750 to 1,500 GPM.
The LAFD has been testing it:
Here’s a full walkaround of the electric vehicle:
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
