Building firefighting vehicles can be best understood by firefighters themselves. That, at least, was the firm belief championed some 150 years ago by Conrad Dietrich Magirus - a passionate firefighter himself, not to mention the visionary and founder behind the company that bears his name. In keeping with this claim and tradition, Magirus is still committed to developing and manufacturing the most cutting-edge and reliable firefighting vehicles, ladders and integrated and portable fire pumps.
Many employees at Magirus are trained firefighters who know exactly what a call-out requires - which just goes to show how timeless the words of Conrad Dietrich Magirus are. In the run-up to INTERSCHUTZ 2020 in Hannover, where it's set to showcase its latest innovations with its very own pavilion and stand, Magirus is now unveiling standard-compliant, natural gas-fueled (H)LF 10 as part of its "Innovative Drive Line" (iDL).
Alternative drive technology
The iDL has come to be synonymous with the latest developments in alternative drive technology that can be used in day-to-day applications reliably and without any compromises. "With the launch of the iDL, Magirus is taking what is currently technically feasible and what is required on a call-out and putting it into series production," explains Marc Diening, CEO of Magirus, when asked to summarize the focus of the new series.
While many municipal authorities have had vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) in their fleets for some years now - successfully optimizing their CO2 emissions – the new (H)LF 10 marks the very first CNG-fueled fire engine. The (H)LF 10 is built on an Iveco Eurocargo “Natural Power” 4x2 chassis with a fully tested and homologated CNG installation, which features a tank with a 420 kg capacity and a fully automatic Allison torque converter transmission.
Eco-friendly firefighting technology
The 420 kg of CNG is enough to cover a distance of up to 300 km or power a pump for up to four hours. Not only that, but firefighters don't have to make any compromises when loading the vehicle, which fully complies with current standards.
What’s more, the company's commitment to using the most eco-friendly firefighting technology available is not limited to just this drive system - it is also evident in the other innovative solutions used inside its vehicles. For example, they feature an innovative hydrogen-fueled hybrid power generator and battery-powered fans and rescue gear as standard, which help effectively reduce emissions over the long term. Magirus can be visited on site at Pavilion P32 at INTERSCHUTZ 2020.
