Linz Ecology is a powerful selling point these days, but also one with pitfalls. The Austrian family company Rosenbauer, which has hit a nerve with its latest innovation, is currently experiencing this.
The world market leader for almost all products and services that help with firefighting recently launched an all-electric fire engine called RT (“Revolutionary Technology”). So far, these vehicles have only been powered by a diesel engine. With the RT, these are only used as range extenders.
The crux of the matter: the price of the completely new type of vehicle has it all. The RT costs around one million euros; conventional fire engines are available for half the price or even cheaper. Can environmental protection cost taxpayers so much, especially since the climate effect is limited?
Fire brigades and executive politicians are enthusiastic about the vehicle. This is not surprising, because e-mobility is one of the major issues of the moment. This also applies to Berlin, where the RT has been tested for around a year. When the vehicle was presented there as a premiere in autumn 2020, the then Senator for the Interior, Andreas Geisel, said that the city’s fire brigade would be “a bit more climate-friendly and environmentally friendly”.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
For this reason, the fire brigade of the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt even ordered four electric fire engines. The government justified the purchase by wanting to act as a role model. Rosenbauer has also entered into business with three other cities: Los Angeles, Dubai and Amsterdam have also opted for the RT.
A lot of money went into development
For Dieter Siegel, boss and co-owner of the company, this means a certain relief. After all, the Rosenbauer company, which generates annual sales of around one billion euros, has invested a lot of money in the development of the RT since 2012. “The project remains a big risk,” says the entrepreneur, whose family owns 51 percent of the Vienna-listed world market leader. “The concept has to catch on first.”
However, a look at Switzerland shows that this could still turn out to be a gauntlet: experts attest to Rosenbauer that the newly designed vehicle represents a minor revolution in firefighting. However, the high price and the cost-benefit ratio of the RT could still trigger some heated discussions – as just happened in the canton of Zurich.
Winterthur, the sixth largest city in Switzerland and like Berlin governed red-green, also wants to procure an RT. By 2028, the city’s entire fleet of vehicles should be fossil-free, including those used by the fire brigade. “Today, local governments almost have to justify themselves if they don’t rely on e-mobility when purchasing vehicles,” says Siegel. The tide turned on this issue.
Nevertheless, the project met with resistance from certain Winterthur politicians. The criticism is that the price and the ecological benefit are disproportionate. “If the city is already spending money on climate measures, then it should at least do it where it will do the most good,” says Urs Bänziger, city parliamentarian and member of the FDP.
He weighs things up as follows: A fire engine sits in the garage for most of the year, while at the same time a lot of CO2 is produced during the manufacture of the battery. An e-vehicle is therefore more environmentally friendly the more often it is used.
Basel knows the discussion about the purchase of Teslas
This discussion is reminiscent of a similar debate that took place in Basel in 2018. That year, the city procured seven Tesla on-call vehicles for the police. At that time, too, there was a discussion about whether the price of these e-vehicles was not too high and whether the money was really being used effectively from an ecological point of view.
At Rosenbauer, we are prepared for such arguments. Finally, certain contradictions are evident. A fire usually generates more pollutants than a diesel vehicle rushing to such an operation. So what are the ecological benefits of extinguishing fires with an electrically operated and expensive vehicle?
At Rosenbauer, they don’t focus on the ecological argument and instead try to show other advantages of the RT: A diesel vehicle makes a lot of noise, which not only hinders the fire brigade’s work, but also disturbs the residents.
Rosenbauer is particularly proud of the fundamental redesign of the vehicle. An electric drive takes up less space than a diesel engine. This allows the vehicle to be lowered, which makes it easier for the fire brigade to use it. And finally, the RT has rear-wheel steering. The turning circle is 12 meters, otherwise trucks need 18 meters. “This means that the RT can be easily maneuvered in the city,” says Siegel.
Never been left with an empty battery
Berlin’s government has not yet decided whether these arguments are sufficient for a costly procurement. The vehicle has proven itself in test operation. “It has never been left with an empty battery,” says spokesman Tino Brabetz. These and other findings were also communicated to the Basel colleagues when they paid a visit to the Berlin fire brigade. The representatives of the two organizations spoke with obvious pride about the “visionary mobility” that is being pursued with the RT.
However, Berlin’s government has good things to say, because the test operation is partly financed by the EU. The capital, which is not particularly well-funded, received money from the European Regional Development Fund. So far, the costs have been “manageable” for Berlin, says spokesman Brabetz. If the city decides to buy it, it would probably look different. Unless it succeeds in tapping EU funding again.
An order from Berlin would be a welcome signal for Rosenbauer. Because the professional fire brigade there is one of the largest in Europe, for the Austrians it would be a prestigious order.
The production of the RT is still starting slowly. According to the seal, the company intends to produce 400 vehicles in the first four years. After that, the goal is an annual output of 200 vehicles.
At the end of January, the employees at the factory near Linz were just screwing together an RT for the Los Angeles fire department. It takes two to three months for the vehicle to be completely assembled. Not all fire departments can afford a luxury vehicle like the RT. Rosenbauer also serves these customers. Next to the RT in the production hall is a conventional fire engine that is exported to Iraq.
More: America in e-pickup fever: the electric monsters are coming