How does an eclectic fire station work?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Once fully built, Charlotte's newly rebuilt Fire Station No. 30 will be the first all-electric fire station in the Southeast, according to the City of Charlotte.

Ground for the new fire station was dedicated Monday in a ceremony at the site, located next to the Charlotte Fire Department's training center on Shopton Road.

But many questions have circulated on social media regarding this all-electric fire station.

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How long does the battery last in an emergency compared to a normal diesel truck?

Daniels said a vector electric fire truck can put out a fire for about three to four hours on a single charge, which he said is the typical time frame for a traditional truck to fight a house fire.

“The truck will last as long as a diesel truck or any other truck,” Daniels said. “It has the ability, if the battery power drops below 15%, to have a backup system that automatically kicks in, allowing the truck to continue pumping while it recharges when it reaches a certain state of recharge.”

Once the truck is fully charged, the range extender would turn on again and Daniels said it would then run again on full electric power.

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What happens if there is a power outage at the fire station?

The city of Charlotte said that like all critical buildings in the city, it has backup power generation, diesel generators in this case.

How to charge these EV fire trucks?

Daniels said that before a city purchases an electric vector truck, it first ensures that the city commits to the infrastructure needed to support that vehicle.

“The city of Charlotte invested in this technology with the green fire station they were installing,” Daniels said. “So this station will have a charger dedicated to the Vector, that is to say a fast charger.”

Daniels said if a truck is down to about 15 percent of the load, it will take about two hours to get the vehicle back to 85 percent. He added that the trucks would also be able to stop at all public charging stations and plug into these pay electricity banks, just like any other electric vehicle.

And when it comes to the safety of these large electric vehicles? Daniels said they have plenty of safety measures in place to ensure they operate as they should.

“The batteries are completely sealed, they are electronically cooled or heated depending on the situation,” Daniels said. “And they're electronically monitored. So if there are any disturbances or problems inside any of these batteries, they're designed to shut down.”

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