Electric fire engine tested in UK

An electric fire engine was tested by the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service in the United Kingdom for a few days.

The Rosenbauer Concept Fire Truck was put through its paces when the Surrey fire service became the first in the country to try it on November 29 and 30.

Firefighters checked its functions themselves – including crewing the truck alongside Rosenbauer engineers on test drives around Surrey, with neighbouring fire services from London, Hampshire, Kent, West Sussex, East Sussex and Berkshire invited, the Surrey News reports.

“Not only does the vehicle have the potential to be safer for firefighters and better for the environment, it would also be cheaper to run, offering the prospect of savings in the long run,” Surrey County Council community services cabinet member Denise Turner-Stewart says.

The “Concept Fire Truck” (CFT) by Rosenbauer was first presented to the public in 2016, anticipating megatrends such as global warming, demographic change and urbanisation, as well as the challenges these changes pose for fire brigades.

The CFT runs entirely on electric power but has a range extender on board to facilitate continuous operation of the pump.

It mainly applies as a municipal firefighting engine, although plans include other types of vehicles.

Rosenbauer says the global market for the CFT technology will reach around 3200 vehicles by 2030. In Europe, as many as 700 to 800 units could be in use by 2025.