© 2024 New Atlas
Urban Transport

Eugene Springfield Fire Dept starts testing Arcimoto Rapid Responder

By Paul Ridden
March 11, 2020
Eugene Springfield Fire Dept starts testing Arcimoto Rapid Responder
The Arcimoto Rapid Responder is now being tested by the Eugene Springfield Fire Department ahead of production later in 2021
The Arcimoto Rapid Responder is now being tested by the Eugene Springfield Fire Department ahead of production later in 2021
View 6 Images
The Rapid Responder can carry two fire personnel, along with cargo and equipment
1/6
The Rapid Responder can carry two fire personnel, along with cargo and equipment
The Arcimoto Rapid Responder is now being tested by the Eugene Springfield Fire Department ahead of production later in 2021
2/6
The Arcimoto Rapid Responder is now being tested by the Eugene Springfield Fire Department ahead of production later in 2021
It is hoped that the Rapid Resonder will provide a more efficient service to the tens of thousands of emergency calls received by the Eugene Springfield Fire Dept every year
3/6
It is hoped that the Rapid Resonder will provide a more efficient service to the tens of thousands of emergency calls received by the Eugene Springfield Fire Dept every year
The Rapid Responder's electric drive offers a top speed of 75 mph and a per charge range of 100 miles
4/6
The Rapid Responder's electric drive offers a top speed of 75 mph and a per charge range of 100 miles
Based on Arcimoto's modular platform, the Rapid Responder features and integrated light bar and siren, a roof-mounted equipment rack, rear cargo department, and 360-degree lights
5/6
Based on Arcimoto's modular platform, the Rapid Responder features and integrated light bar and siren, a roof-mounted equipment rack, rear cargo department, and 360-degree lights
Emergency personnel first at the scene could asses the situation and deal with minor incidents themselves
6/6
Emergency personnel first at the scene could asses the situation and deal with minor incidents themselves
View gallery - 6 images

A little over a year ago, Oregon's Arcimoto revealed a special version of its battery-electric three-wheeler designed for first responders. The company inked an agreement with the Eugene Springfield Fire Department to test the vehicles, and now that pilot program has begun.

"In an emergency, every second counts, and yet, in every major city, large emergency vehicles get bogged down in traffic, wasting valuable time and emitting excessive amounts of carbon," said Arcimoto CEO Mark Frohnmayer. "With its maneuverable small footprint and ability to go where big trucks can’t, we believe the Rapid Responder can help departments cut carbon emissions and fuel costs while improving response times."

Based on the same modular platform as Arcimoto's Fun Utility Vehicle, the Rapid Responder seats two under a canopy roof, has no doors for easy access and comes with integrated light bar and siren so other road users know to make way. There's also a roof-mounted equipment rack, rear cargo department, and 360-degree lights to illuminate the scene of an accident or incident.

It is hoped that the Rapid Resonder will provide a more efficient service to the tens of thousands of emergency calls received by the Eugene Springfield Fire Dept every year
It is hoped that the Rapid Resonder will provide a more efficient service to the tens of thousands of emergency calls received by the Eugene Springfield Fire Dept every year

The electric drivetrain can get the three-wheeler to a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) for 100 miles (160 km) of per charge city driving range.

"At Eugene Springfield Fire, we pride ourselves on being a progressive organization that is always in search of innovative new ways to improve our services," added Eugene Springfield Fire Chief Chris Heppel. "In 2019, we responded to more than 40,000 emergency calls, and a large number of those could have been better serviced using the Arcimoto Rapid Responder. We are extremely proud to be the first firehouse in the world to deploy this cutting-edge vehicle, and look forward to working with Arcimoto in this pilot program to create a world-class sustainable EMS solution."

Eugene Springfield isn't the only Fire Department in the US to opt for green and quiet emergency vehicles. Last month, the Los Angeles Fire Department agreed to buy an electric fire engine from Austria's Rosenbauer, which will be a custom version of its Concept Fire Truck that will have 100-kW batteries for around two hours of fully electric operation, and a backup diesel generator for extended operations.

Arcimoto is expected to reveal full specs and pricing ahead of Rapid Responder production later in the year.

Source: Arcimoto

View gallery - 6 images

Tags

Urban TransportThree-WheelerElectric VehiclesFireEmergencies
4 comments
Paul Ridden
Paul Ridden
While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before hopping over to France for 10 years, where he started work for New Atlas in 2009. Now back in his native Blighty, he serves as Managing Editor in Europe.

Most Viewed

Load More
4 comments
paul314
Will it have a bunch of pre-packed kits depending on the emergency?
lucius
These Arcimoto Rapid Responders appear to be an efficient solution for emergency situations where sending out massive fire department trucks is not really required. I'm hoping that vehicles like these prove to be reliable and successful.

In 2009 Elio Motors began developing a similar-looking 3-wheel car for personal transportation (but with an internal combustion engine). Although their prototypes looked promising, their crowd-funded approach has been chronically undercapitalized, and it is doubtful that the Elio will ever go into production.

I think that vehicles like the Arcimoto and Elio can actually make a lot of sense in urban settings, for filling the niche between motorcycles and 4-wheel automobiles. I'd buy a 3-wheel car for myself if a dependable model ever appeared for sale on the market at an affordable price.

I'm grateful to Paul Ridden and New Atlas for reporting on these developments.
Daishi
@lucius I have followed Elio and Arcimoto pretty closely and the similarities between them mostly end at having 3 wheels. They are entirely different companies. With Arcimoto the CEO Mark Frohnmayer put a significant amount of his own money into the company and wants to succeed. With Elio there is a fair chance that it was never a legitimate company and they have stalled reaching production intentionally. I said that about Elio in ~2013 and everything that has happened since has only reinforced my views. With Arcimoto they are up against market forces and solving a difficult problem but I can promise you they are actually trying and they demonstrate far more competence than Elio. Elio also hasn't released a financial report in years and the company is functionally bankrupt in all but formality because they are aware that as soon as their bankruptcy is official it will likely spawn lawsuits and investigations. Elio furloughed their employees and I'm not sure if they have anyone on payroll currently. They don't even have a physical office with employees actually in it. I have much more trust in Arcimoto and they actually have a factory that exists and employees on payroll. They deserve more credit than Elio.
mediabeing
Bravo to the various hard workers on this project.
The thing is...3 wheelers are a pain.
Streets have pot holes and anomalies.
What problems the right or left wheel doesn't hit, the middle one does.