Rosenbauer is working intensively on expanding the electric vehicle fleet for the fire departments. After the RT tank fire engine and a logistics vehicle, the first turntable ladder L32A-XS is also being electrified.
The top priority of the development engineers is to make the e-turntable ladder just as functional, powerful, and reliable as the tried-and-tested standard turntable ladder and to ensure the same operability, service-friendliness, and availability of spare parts. That is why only high-quality OEM components are used for the electric turntable ladder: the ladder park of the proven L32A-XS and the series chassis of the Volvo FE Electric.
Same technology, the same benefit
Both the classic and the electric L32A-XS are based on the same turntable ladder technology from Rosenbauer Karlsruhe and offer the same tactical benefits for firefighters. The aerial rescue structure is largely identical, the drive concept differs significantly.
While the classic XS is powered by a combustion engine, the electric turntable ladder uses three electric motors, two for the traction drive and one for turntable ladder operation (ePTO with 70 kW). The energy comes from two or three lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 66 kWh each.
Sufficient energy onboard
L32A-XS has more than enough energy onboard to carry out a typical turntable ladder job without interruption
With a battery capacity of 132 or 198 kWh, the electric L32A-XS has more than enough energy onboard to carry out a typical turntable ladder job reliably and without interruption. For example, around 20 kWh are consumed in a city operation with a five-kilometer drive, one support operation, three ladder movements (load cycles), 30 minutes of light mast operation including the return journey.
The turntable ladder with two battery packs then still has enough "residual capacity" with which up to four more such operations can be completed.
Chargeable battery packs
An operation on land (30 km arrival and departure, two support processes, five ladder movements, and one hour of light mast operation) accounts for around 52 kWh, which means that a turntable ladder with three battery packs has a power reserve for at least two further operations.
The battery packs can be charged with alternating current from standard industrial power sockets or at suitable direct current charging stations. An external feed during turntable ladder operation is also possible.
Experiences from regular operation
The emergency services are environmentally friendly on the move and exposed to fewer noise emissions
Rosenbauer has been working on the electrification of fire-fighting vehicles for more than seven years and in autumn 2020 launched the RT, the first new-generation electric tank fire-fighting vehicle. The Berlin fire brigade has been testing the RT in regular operation since February (fire station Berlin Mitte and Suarez, from November fire station Schönberg) and has completed around 800 operations in the last eight months, more than 90% of them purely battery-electric, without power generation by the range extender.
With their eLHF, the emergency services are not only environmentally friendly on the move but are also exposed to fewer exhaust and noise emissions at the scene. This improves the working conditions around the vehicle, reduces the stress level, and, last but not least, benefits the residents.
High-voltage technology
The know-how in the field of the high-voltage technology that has been developed in recent years is also being used in the development of the first electric turntable ladder. The prototype based on DIN EN 14043:2014 and EN 1846 will be presented in summer 2022.
The first lead customer for the test operation has already been determined in the form of Protection & Rescue Zurich, the largest civil rescue organization in Switzerland. Rosenbauer is thus once again underscoring its role as a trendsetter in the fire service industry and, with the first electric L32A-XS, is also showing what fire service vehicles will look like in the aerial rescue sector in the future.
Aerial rescue vehicle
Rosenbauer produces aerial rescue vehicles at the group competence center in Karlsruhe and the US production sites in Wyoming, MN, and Lyons, SD. Aerial rescue attachments are supplied by Rosenbauer Aerials in Fremont, NE, and by Rosenbauer Rovereto, Italy.
The product range includes turntable ladders with working heights of 20 to 64 m and aerial rescue platforms with working heights of 32 to 64 m as well as telescopic extinguishing arms with a length of up to 20 m, which are placed on industrial and airport fire engines. In the 2020 financial year, Rosenbauer produced around 280 aerial rescue vehicles and thus generated 14% of the Group's total revenues.
