E-fire engine was badly damaged in the crash Photo: Spreepicture
Von Dirk Boettger
A serious crash occurred on the corner of Alexanderstraße and Magazinstraße in Berlin-Mitte shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday morning!
That new electric fire engine (E-LHF) of the Berlin fire brigade crashed into a diplomatic vehicle, a Mercedes.
The new electric fire engine collided with the Mercedes Photo: Spreepicture
An occupant from the car and a firefighter were taken to a clinic, the fire department said. The accident happened near the fire station on Voltairestrasse.
Details of the course of the accident is not yet known. The intersection was temporarily closed while the accident was being investigated.
The damaged diplomatic vehicle following the crash Photo: Spreepicture
The large and heavy vehicle has been tested since the end of 2020. With pure battery operation, it should be able to be on the road for up to one and a half hours. When extinguishing fires, the entire technology, including the pumps that generate the high pressure for hoses and syringes, should be driven by electric motors. When the fire station is on stand-by, the battery is charged using a rapid charging system. In addition, the vehicle has a diesel engine that generates the electricity required for long periods of use.
The cost of this completely newly developed fire engine amounted to 1.8 million euros. From February 2021, there was a 13-month test phase in Berlin, during which the vehicle was driven around 1,600 times, according to a balance press conference in September.