Rosenbauer opens the order books on Panther 6×6 electric fire truck [video]

Austrian emergency vehicle manufacturer Rosenbauer has officially opened the order books on its latest electric fire truck. Meet the Panther 6×6 electric aircraft rescue and fire fighter (ARFF).

Four electric motors power the new 6×6, delivering vastly superior performance, handling, and acceleration than its diesel-powered competition.

The Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 electric was specially designed to meet the specific needs of airport fire and rescue services that have to be ever-ready to respond to emergencies – and get to them as quickly as possible. The new rapid response ARFF is the next generation version of the 4×4 Rosenbauer RT electric fire truck that’s been in development since 2020. Five of those units have seen service in Berlin as part of a pilot development program, with a similar unit in service in Los Angeles joining two more in Paris. The Parisian duo have gone to work for Groupe ADP at the Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airports.

Electric fire truck

“With the Panther 6×6 electric, we want to once again set the standard in a product category by combining a powerful, fully electric drive with the highest safety standards in its class,” says Andreas Zeller, Chief Sales Officer of Rosenbauer International. “This innovation not only contributes to the net-zero goals of many airports but also meets the high expectations of our customers in terms of performance.”

The electric fire truck can charge using both AC and DC power, so it’s always ready to leap into action. It can power its water pumps through either battery or auxiliary/grid power, so it will run out of water before running out of juice.

“Through the development of our RT/ RTX, we have acquired a great deal of expertise in the field of e-mobility, which we have been able to use in the development of the Panther 6×6 electric over the last two years. Especially in the firefighting sector, e-mobility offers many advantages. With the PANTHER 6×6 electric, airport fire departments around the world can now take advantage of these benefits,” says Sebastian Wolf, CEO of Rosenbauer International.

Electrek’s Take

With the short distances driven and extreme loads involved, airports present a nearly ideal use case for battery-electric vehicles.

That’s a good thing, too. As demand for on-road fossil fuels drops, airports and airlines (historically responsible for about 4% Earth’s global warming) are becoming a bigger and bigger slice of a rapidly shrinking pie when it comes to fossil fuel emissions.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Rosebauer, via Facebook; Electrive.