Volvo Penta, a global supplier of premium power solutions, has commenced production of bespoke electric drivelines for leading fire service vehicle manufacturer Rosenbauer’s pioneering fire truck, named Revolutionary Technology (RT).

 

By adapting proven technology from Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses, Volvo Penta and its customer Rosenbauer have introduced the world’s first electric fire truck, with a completely new vehicle architecture.

 

This project is a true example of Volvo Penta’s customer-focused evolutionary approach, he noted.

 

Three Rosenbauer test firetrucks – powered by Volvo Penta electric drivelines – have already successfully been delivered to Berlin, Amsterdam, and Dubai. 

 

"We announced our emob partnership with Rosenbauer in 2019, and we have gone from concept to start of production in record time," remarked Giorgio Paris, President of Volvo Penta Industrial. 

 

"This is a milestone in our electrification journey. We see a growing demand for electric solutions in the market today and – through collaboration and pilot projects, such as this one – we aim to meet this demand and the expectations of the future," he added.

 

The RT pushed Volvo Penta’s electric drivelines to new heights. Unlike other Volvo Group EVs that might have two or sometimes three electric machines, the RT required four to do its job. 

 

All four electric machines have to be able to run simultaneously – two for propulsion, one for the range extender to provide extra battery power, and one for electric power takeoff, if fire-fighters want to rotate the foam pump for example. To achieve this, the Volvo Penta engineers created a system that is completely cutting edge in terms of Volvo Group technology.

 

Due to the required compact dimensions of a city fire truck, Volvo Penta created a new Active Cooling Unit (ACU). This component was developed in part collaboration with Rosenbauer. 

 

The new ACU draws on a 600V system – instead of the conventional 24V – this extra power allows Volvo Penta to not only cool the batteries but also offer cooling capacity to the Rosenbauer vehicle. 

 

This is one way Volvo Penta has optimized the design and adapted the complete electric driveline system for a specific vehicle, considering the exact application, usage, climate, and environment it will operate in.

 

So far, the crews have been amazed at the RT’s battery capacity and the many other advantages of not having a large diesel engine – such as increase crew cabin space and more side panel storage.

 

Now the first electric drivelines have entered the production stage at the Volvo Penta Vara plant in Sweden. Here the ACU is manufactured, and the system is kitted – loaded with software and packed together – to make installation as straightforward as possible for the customer.-TradeArabia News Service