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1. In 2020, the fire equipment manufacturer Rosenbauer handed over pre-series electrified fire engines to the Berlin Fire Brigade, among others, to test their suitability for practical use. Now the first results have been published with the Rosenbauer RT (“Revolutionary Technology”) model.

   The RT prototype has an electric all-wheel drive train. Each axle is moved by its own electric motor, and together the machines generate 350 kW (476 hp) of power. The system includes a diesel unit from BMW as a range extender. Two high-voltage batteries with a total of 100 kWh available capacity are used as power storage.

   The “fire-fighting and emergency vehicle with electric drive” (eLHF) was used in Berlin at the fire stations Mitte, Suarez and Schöneberg. According to the Vision Mobility portal, it has been deployed there almost 1,600 times since autumn 2020 and covered 14,000 kilometres. The Berlin fire brigade has been able to carry out more than 95 per cent of its operations purely electrically. The target was at least 80 per cent and was clearly exceeded.

   The result could have been even better, but there was a two-week outage of the charging station at Suarez station. In addition, there were charging problems after a software update of the eLHF. The test period was therefore extended from one year to thirteen months. There was no failure of the eLHF itself, so the Berlin fire brigade wants to use more such vehicles in the future.

   Besides the German fire brigade, the Brandweer Amsterdam and Dubai Civil Defence have prototypes of the RT in use. The first fleet order was received at the end of last year; the professional fire brigade of the canton of Basel-Stadt has ordered four RTs. Rosenbauer has meanwhile also built an electric RTX for the North American firefighting market. The vehicle is destined for the Los Angeles Fire Department and was developed together with the responsible authority. According to Rosenbauer, the “core DNA” is identical to the RT according to European standards, while the technical design complies with American regulations.
   Further development for the US market

   In the RTX, two electric motors with an output of up to 180 kW (245 hp) each drive all four wheels via permanent all-wheel drive. They are powered by two high-voltage batteries with a storage capacity of 132 kWh, which also provide the energy for pump operation and other consumers on the job site. The RTX has a diesel engine with power generator with an output of 225 kW (306 hp), which is installed in the superstructure to save space. The integrated power plant automatically recharges the high-voltage batteries when more energy is consumed than stored.

   In addition to the electric drive, the RT models focus on facilitating the work of the fire brigade teams. For example, at the scene of an emergency, the RTX can be lowered by its air-suspended chassis to such an extent that the crew compartment can be entered without barriers and the equipment can be removed from the ground with a safe footing. Shadowless LED ambient lighting and underfloor lighting increase safety around the vehicle.

   “In the RTX, the driver’s cab and crew compartment merge into a modern command centre where operational briefings can be conducted in a quiet atmosphere protected from the wind and weather,” says Rosenbauer. For this purpose, the driver and co-driver turn their seats inwards and face their team members directly, who sit on the sides of the vehicle facing each other and on the rear wall of the cabin facing forwards.

   All functions of the RTX, from lighting to extinguishing technology, can be controlled via a 17-inch display centrally installed in the dashboard. In addition, the vehicle sets up its own W-LAN, which can be used for wireless control of robots, drones and other electrical equipment.

   Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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