Electrical autos have their deserves but in addition signify a giant problem for firefighters. Battery fires are very tough to tell apart, particularly once they happen in automobile parks the place typical hearth vans have little or no entry. That is precisely the mission of the Hiload 6×6 Fast Intervention Car created by UK agency ProSpeed, utilizing a Toyota Hilux pickup truck as a base.

The automobile options an “completely new chassis” and “torque splitter” for the 6×6 conversion. The Hiload moniker was chosen for a very good motive, as the three,000 kg (6,614 lbs) payload has tripled in comparison with the Toyota Hilux and different pickups from the identical phase. The gross automobile weight is 5,600 kg (12,346 kilos), and the loading space has been prolonged by 1,230 mm (48.4 inches) permitting the Hiload to hold loads of water and all the mandatory gear.

Learn: LAFD Takes Supply Of First Electrical Hearth Truck In North America

The whole top of 1,850 mm (72.8 inches) is low sufficient to slot in many of the underground and multi-story automobile parks. On the identical time, the beneficiant floor clearance, and the excessive ranges of grip from the six off-road tires make the Hiload a becoming automobile for extinguishing forest fires, carrying much more water and equipment than customary pickups in tough terrains. In addition to the prolonged tail and the additional set of wheels, different exterior modifications embody the off-road bumper, the roof rack, and the additional LEDs.

A Hearth Extinguishing System That Pierces Holes

The corporate admits that EVs are “statistically much less more likely to catch hearth” than ICE-powered autos, however the lithium-ion battery packs make them “way more critical and tough to extinguish”. Immersing the whole automobile in a big container full of water and leaving it to relaxation for days is just not probably the most sensible resolution, whereas the standard strategy of pumping hundreds of liters of water is just not what you’d name environment friendly.

Because of this ProSpeed retrofitted the Hiload 6×6 with an revolutionary hearth extinguishing system known as Coldcut Cobra. An abrasive pierces a gap by the ground of the automobile, permitting water to be injected contained in the battery casing at very excessive strain (300 bar), finally cooling down the modules and stopping propagation. Unbiased exams proved that the Coldcut Cobra “might stop cell propagation inside 10 minutes, utilizing simply 240 liters of water” which is simply 20% of the capability of the Hiload’s water tank.

The Hiload 6×6 is engineered and assembled in York, England, and is at present examined within the Czech Republic. Prospeed says that it’s already a part of an EV producer’s firefighting fleet with out clarifying which model it’s speaking about.

In addition to promoting it as a accomplished automobile for an undisclosed worth, the corporate can ship the 6×6 conversion module to export markets and is prepared to license the design for higher-volume manufacturing. Lastly, Prospeed is providing comparable 4×4 and 6×6 conversions designed as utility autos for the navy.