UAE Shows Off The World's First Electric Fire Engine

The Dubai Civil Defence authorities unveiled the world’s first electric firefighting truck at the World Trade Centre (WTC) on Thursday.

The first-of-its-kind electric truck was manufactured by Rosenbauer, an Austrian company.

The announcement of the new firefighting truck took place at the Custom Show Emirates, which started on Thursday and will conclude on Saturday (April 8-10).

The event is considered to be the biggest exhibition for modified cars in the Middle East.

Major General Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi, the Director-General of Dubai Civil Defence, said that the new electric truck is at least 20 per cent faster than its normal counterpart and the efficiency rate is 40 per cent higher.

The vehicle is equipped with LED lights and has a smart operating system comprising 17 inches screen (CAN- BUST), which allows the authorities to control it remotely. It is connected to the Dubai Civil Defence's operation room with a smart technology called TELEMATIC.

The truck has a carrying capacity for six firefighting personnel and an impromptu meeting can be held inside the vehicle for any kind of emergency strategy planning in a bid to douse a raging blaze.

The water pump in the electric truck is designed with high-power standards (NH35), and the contraption uses smart applications.

The capacity of the pump’s water tank is 4000 litres, and there is a separate 400-litre tank for foam, a key component needed to put out a raging fire.

The vehicle can be charged up to 80 per cent in only 40 minutes, which can support a fire-fighting operation that may last around eight hours. The authorities have installed a fast-charging unit for the vehicle.

Martin Kitzmüller, regional sales manager for Rosenbauer MENA, said that this was the first model of the truck and more variants of the vehicle would be launched in the near future.

He predicted electric variants as the future for such vehicles and said the trend could catch on over the next decade or so.

The authorities will give their feedback to Rosenbauer about any technical glitches that they might face while operating the vehicle.

The vehicle is not available for sale in the open market. Currently, Dubai Civil Defence is the only proud owner of the engineering marvel that seeks to change the face of a firefighting mechanism.