Press release

Another award for the RT, the electric fire truck of the future

After winning the Austrian State Prize for Innovation, Rosenbauer has also received the Austrian State Prize for Mobility 2021 for its "Revolutionary Technology" (RT) electric firefighting vehicle. With this prize, the Ministry of Climate Action and Energy (Bundesministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität, Innovation und Technologie) is recognizing mobility innovations that make future-oriented contributions to climate protection, thus paving Austria's path to climate neutrality by 2040. The high-profile award was personally presented by Minister Leonore Gewessler.

The Rosenbauer RT received the State Prize for Mobility in the category "Climate-friendly technologies - sustainable value creation." This category recognizes innovations that promote industrial trends that help to achieve climate neutrality in the key fields of mobility, and which demonstrate new climate-friendly approaches to sustainable mobility. In its reasoning, the jury particularly emphasized the foresight and consistency with which Rosenbauer pursued a revolutionary and holistic approach with the RT and thus created a highly innovative, future-oriented concept for emergency vehicles. "We are very proud of this award, because it justifies the path we embarked on years ago to lead fire departments into the age of electromobility," says Markus Schachner, Head of Product Development at Rosenbauer. "With the RT, we not only implemented a new drive and energy concept, we also reinvented and implemented the entire fire truck system."

Emission-free operations

With the RT, fire departments are able to drive to the scene of an emergency on purely electric power, thereby generating zero emissions locally. This reduces pollution for people and the environment, especially in urban areas with many emergency journeys and high traffic volumes. On-site exhaust emissions and noise levels are also lower, because the energy for all consumers, from the built-in pump to the scene lighting, comes from the high-voltage batteries. This in turn improves the working conditions in the vicinity of the vehicle, reduces the stress levels of emergency crews, and lastly also benefits the residents in the vicinity. For example, the Berlin fire department, which has tested the RT in regular operation over the past 13 months, has predicted that replacing its diesel-powered main emergency vehicle LHF (fire-fighting and assistance vehicle) with an eLHF will help to save up to 14.7 tons of CO₂ equivalents per year.

The RT is fitted with either one or two high-voltage batteries, each with a capacity of 66 kWh. With two batteries on board, around 95% of all typical firefighting operations in municipal areas can be carried out purely by electrical means, including simple extinguishing operations. For longer pumping operations, the RT is fitted with a range extender (vehicle diesel engine and power generator), which automatically recharges the batteries if more than the available power is used.

The battery can also be charged with alternating current from standard industrial power sockets or at suitable direct current charging stations. With a full charging capacity of 150 kW, just a quarter of an hour is enough to increase the charge level of both high-voltage batteries (132 kWh) from 50% to 80%.

Excellent driving dynamics

The RT is also extremely agile and maneuverable for an emergency vehicle with a weight between 16 to 18 tons. Two electric motors with a total output of 360 kW (490 hp) and continuous all-wheel drive ensure driving dynamics that are unprecedented in this vehicle category. Thanks to its low center of gravity - one of the two high-voltage batteries is installed in the core tube frame between the axles - the RT is safe on the road even in the event of rapid shifts in power. In addition, the air-sprung chassis can be lowered or raised, thereby adapting the ground clearance to different terrains (road, rough ground, water crossings, etc.). The vehicle width of 2.35 m (standard: 2.50 m) makes it easier to drive the RT through narrow streets and corners, with the rear-axle steering enabling maneuvering in the tightest of spaces (min. turning circle 12.5 m).

A new age

From Rosenbauer's point of view, the RT marks the beginning of a new era for firefighting vehicles. Emergency services in cities and metropolises as well as operators of industrial parks and large company fire departments are the main parties interested in operating an electric fleet. The RT is already in operation with fire departments in Berlin, Amsterdam and Dubai, and it will soon be put into service for test purposes in Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Canberra. In Switzerland, the city of Basel has ordered the first small fleet of four vehicles, and the RT is also sparking interest among factory fire departments (Tesla, Porsche, VW, BMW, etc.). Rosenbauer predicts that by 2030, almost half of all vehicles it produces will be electrified, and it is already working intensively on future additional e-models for fire departments and emergency services.

RT technical data

- High-voltage batteries: 2 x 66 kWh (650 V)

- E-motors: 2 x 180 kW (peak), 2 x 130 kW (cont.)

- Range extender: vehicle diesel engine with 225 kW

- Dimensions: approx. 7,600 x 2,350 x 2,900 mm

- Permissible total weight: 18,000 kg

- Crew: 1+8

- Built-in pump: N35 (FPN 10-3000 in accordance with EN 1028)

- Admixing system: RFC Admix Variomatic

- Extinguishing agent: 2,000 l water + 125 l foaming agent