Canada's first electric fire truck was in service less than a month before it needed repairs
Vancouver's brand-new, $1.8-million fire truck was in service for less than a month before it was sidelined for repairs.
CTV News has learned the all-electric Rosenbauer RTX has a leaky water tank.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services spokesperson Matthew Trudeau confirms the repair work involves the vehicle’s water tank, but none of the electrical or battery systems, and the cost of the work is covered by the manufacturer, Rosenbauer.
Trudeau says the vehicle was in service from Dec. 4, 2023, to Jan. 2, 2024, and has been out of service ever since.
"As brand new apparatus enter the VFRS fleet, it is routine and expected that mechanical issues come up," Trudeau says in an email.
"We quickly work with manufacturers to resolve them and improve their response capability."
A water leak also sidelined North America’s first Rosenbauer RTX truck, which was bought by the Los Angeles Fire Department in May 2022.
According to a statement from the Rosenbauer Group posted by LAFD, the issue was discovered during testing, and “water tank issues are not uncommon and may happen due to a variety of reasons.”
Vancouver’s all-electric vehicle was unveiled Dec. 4, with VFRS Chief Karen Fry referring to it as a “reinvention of the fire truck.”
The department said the truck is smaller and more maneuverable than a traditional truck, and can go 100 kilometres on a single charge.
At a cost of $1.8 million, it’s $300,000 to $500,000 more than a new diesel engine, but Fry said there are huge environmental and health benefits to an electric truck, as diesel fumes are a known carcinogen.
Trudeau did not say when the truck will return to service.
"We look forward to having the truck back in service as soon as possible," he says in his email.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.