London Fire Brigade orders 52 BMW i3 for its fleet

When we think of fire service vehicles in any city, we always picture the large fire tenders, equipped to tackle the toughest blazes that engulf buildings, warehouses, forests and every other kind of location. These are still fossil-fuel powered vehicles, although perhaps soon, thanks to Nikola and its electric truck, that may change. But there are also other vehicles used in the fight against fire and its consequences, which are just as useful and practical as those.

These are the support vehicles, used to coordinate firefighting operations, to get quickly to wherever the presence of these professionals is needed, or for any other task we might think of. And for these duties, the London Fire Brigade has relied on zero-emission mobility and has confirmed the purchase of 52 units of the BMW i3, the 100% electric small city car from the Bavarian brand.

Electric vs diesel

These models not only have the range offered by their battery and electric motor, which, given their public service role, will use the extended range provided by the auxiliary petrol engine, so they never run out of power at a crucial moment. In addition, the 52 BMW i3 have been fitted with the equipment typical of this department’s vehicles, with a special livery in red and yellow and emergency lights on the roof, so they can be granted right of way when responding to a call.

These 52 cars will replace 60 Opel Astra running on diesel, so this is a move by the department to begin replacing emission-producing vehicles, something that major European cities want to avoid. The head of the department, Rob Dobson, jokes about the change, saying that London could be the first city to have a fleet of hybrid or even fully electric trucks.

That would be good news, especially after the latest decisions that have restricted diesel traffic in London and other European cities. For now, these units, along with five other hybrid cars whose brand has not yet been revealed, will be the zero-emission vehicles serving in the City.

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Via | Carscoops