America’s first pure battery-electric fire truck has been added to the Mesa Fire and Medical Department Station 221 in Mesa, Arizona. Unlike the European-style electric fire truck, Los Angeles received in May 2022, built by Austrian company Rosenbauer, Mesa’s E-One Vector fire truck is a solely battery-powered vehicle designed in the American style and manufactured in Florida by Emergency One. This electric fire truck contains a 327-kWh battery (316 kWh usable), providing the vehicle with ample power for firefighting operations.
The E-One Vector’s 400-kW electric motor (536 horsepower) powers either the rear axle or the pump system. Water can be quickly drained from the truck’s 530-gallon onboard tank when the pumper is working, or it can spray a maximum of 1,250 gallons per minute when hooked to a water supply. A DC fast charger with a 120-kW maximum fast-charge rate can refill the battery in approximately 3.5 hours, allowing the fire truck to quickly return to service.
One major benefit of the electric fire truck is its significant reduction in emissions. Los Angeles has reported seeing almost entirely electric operation for the Rosenbauer RTX PHEV, with estimates indicating that a minimum of 96% pure electric operation will be achieved this year. Mesa, which is aiming to become carbon-neutral by 2050, expects to see an even higher reduction in vehicle emissions with its all-electric E-One Vector.
Despite the relative novelty of electric fire trucks, the pricing of these vehicles aligns with current prices for traditional diesel-powered pumpers. The cost for L.A.’s Rosenbauer RTX truck was $1.2 million and no pricing information is available for the E-One Vector, although funding came from a voter-approved bond issue from 2018 and the city’s general fund. The pricing trend for fire trucks, like that for other types of vehicles, has seen remarkable inflation over the past three years, demonstrating the increasing value and demand for sustainable, electric firefighting vehicles.
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