London Fire Brigade is working with Emergency One to deploy the UK’s first hybrid-electric fire engine, the Zero Emission Capable Pumping Appliance (ZEPA1), which will begin trials this year.
Developing zero-emission solutions for fire engines is challenging due to their heavy weight and demanding performance requirements. Fire engines have to be able to rapidly respond to incidents, pump water for long periods of time, and transport equipment and machinery.
London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said:Our first priority is always to ensure the Brigade provides a first-class prevention, protection and emergency response service for London. But for some time we have been looking towards a more sustainable future and working to identify the challenges and solutions to ensure that we as a fire service can move to a zero emission fleet.
ZEPA1 is a very big and exciting step for us and the whole of the UK fire service and we are incredibly proud to be part of the innovation that will lead to the UK’s first electric-hybrid fire engines at one of our fire stations.
ZEPA1 will be trialled as a frontline fire engine later this year. London Fire Brigade states that the hybrid-electric fire engine is capable of meeting all its demanding operational requirements.
The vehicle has a range of over 200 miles, can pump water continuously for four hours, has air conditioning and heating and features the same control system as the Brigade’s existing fleet.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:It’s fantastic to see London Fire Brigade driving innovation among fire services across the country by supporting the UK’s first electric-hybrid fire engine. Our emergency services are a key part of our clean air goals and this high-performance green fire engine will help to ensure Londoners breathe cleaner air whilst working to tackle blazes across the city - proving once again that sustainability can and must be at the heart of the modernisation of our public services.
This project is part of London Fire Brigade’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and supporting the Mayor of London’s target for the city to be net zero carbon by 2030.
