Transcript:
Madison, Wisconsin’s new fire truck seems like any other fire truck – shiny and red with a wailing siren.
But unlike most other fire trucks, this one runs on electricity instead of diesel fuel.
Wong: “From the outside, if you didn’t know it was electric, you wouldn’t really know.”
That’s Matt Wong of the Madison Fire Department.
The department started testing a prototype electric fire truck a few years ago and put this new production model truck into service in February.
Wong says it’s fit into their operations seamlessly.
Wong: “We have never run the thing out of battery, even on the prototype version on electric driving mode. … I don’t know if we’ve ever got it below 50% in our daily usage.”
But the truck has a backup diesel engine, just in case.
Electric fire trucks are generally more expensive up front than traditional models.
But Wong says the new truck runs quietly, which means no one has to yell over the engine during calls, and he says it’s fun and easy to drive.
Wong: “It feels kind of like a rocket ship compared to some of the other, older diesel engines that we have.”
The electric truck is also healthier for firefighters because it does not spew toxic diesel fumes into the firehouse.
And it does not produce carbon pollution either, so it helps reduce the city of Madison’s contribution to climate change.
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
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