The age of electrification is well and truly upon us and the Tucson Fire Department in Arizona recently had the opportunity to check out a range-extended electric fire truck produced by Rosenbauer. Found beneath the futuristic bodywork of the truck is a six-cylinder diesel engine that acts as a generator for the battery pack which is available in 50 kWh and 100 kWh configurations. Power is fed through two Volvo electric motors, one at each axle, and a two-speed transmission incorporated into each motor.
All up, the innovative fire truck from
Rosenbauer produces a total of 490 hp and up to 50,000 Nm at the wheels, while
the diesel engine itself is rated at 272 hp. It offers DC fast charging at a
rate of up to 150 kW which, in the case of the 100 kWh version, allows for the
battery to be topped up from 50 per cent to 80 per cent in one hour.
While it isn’t technically an all-electric
vehicle, it can be driven in a dedicated EV mode and can use its battery power
to conduct various operations. A local news station in Tucson had the
opportunity to check out the fire truck, noting that it is currently used in
Dubai, Amsterdam, and Berlin. A representative from Rosenbauer notes in the
video that a typical fire truck usually costs about US$ 700,000, while their truck
starts at a little under US$ 1 million.
