Electric ARFF truck hits 50 mph in under 20 seconds
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- XCharge North America supplied its C7AM 400 kW liquid-cooled fast charger for Dallas Fire-Rescue's new Rosenbauer PANTHER 6×6 electric ARFF vehicle, installed at Dallas Love Field's new Station 21, which opened today.
- The 91,000-pound PANTHER accelerates from 0 to 50 mph in under 25 seconds — or under 20 seconds in Boost Mode — versus 28 seconds for the diesel version, the airport says.
- The truck shoots water or foam up to 250 feet, a 40% increase over the diesel model's 190-foot reach, letting crews attack fires from farther away.
- Electric motors cut emergency-response noise by roughly 50%, making crew communication easier during responses.
- Rosenbauer's battery design is meant to cover drive, full discharge, and return to the station on a single charge, with the manufacturer saying the PANTHER handles over 90% of daily operations and training on electric power alone.
- The vehicle is undergoing a six-month test of operations, training, and comparisons with existing fire trucks; Dallas Fire-Rescue feedback will feed into refinement before regular fleet service.
- Dallas Love Field is the busiest medium-hub airport in the US, handling nearly 18 million passengers and more than 250,000 aircraft operations annually — making the rollout a high-profile real-world test of battery-powered emergency vehicles.
Why it matters: Dallas Love Field becomes the highest-traffic test bed yet for battery-powered ARFF vehicles, with the PANTHER's 40% longer foam reach, 50% noise reduction, and 20-second 0–50 mph acceleration offering documented performance gains over diesel — but the six-month trial will determine whether electric powertrains match diesel reliability under real aircraft-rescue conditions.
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