E-ONE Introduces Six New Models, Quest Custom Cab

By Ed Ballam

Apparatus builder E-ONE is introducing a half-dozen new products, chief among them a new custom cab and chassis design and a unique electric hybrid command center vehicle.

The presentation of so many significant improvements at one time is unprecedented in recent company history.

 The new apparatus, which include two aerials, an urban pumper and an aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle, were unveiled in April at the 2007 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, Ind.

The new cab and chassis is named Quest, and E-ONE Director of Marketing Scott Weishaar called it the “capstone” of all products introduced by his company.

“This incorporates over 300 different individual items that we’ve gathered over two years of research and development,” Weishaar said of the Quest while leading a press tour of E-ONE’s exhibit area at the show.

One of the biggest improvements made to E-ONE’s cab design is improved visibility, he said, noting that the windshield size was increased to nearly 3,500 square inches. A lower drivers’ console also helps visibility.

“That is impressive in it’s own right, but if you live in an area where you get rain, snow or sleet, it doesn’t matter how big the windshield is unless you can clean it,” he said. “We’ve improved the swept area 100 percent over our current products.” The wipers on the Quest permit drivers to see both rear view mirrors from a seated position, he said.

In fact the new teardrop-shaped heated mirrors were designed for better visibility. “With the older square mirrors, you could hide a Volkswagen behind them,” Weishaar said.

E-ONE focused on visibility, he said, because firefighters told company officials they wanted to see a wider area in front of their apparatus, particularly while approaching intersections.

The new cab has dozens of other features including a redesigned contemporary front grill with angel-eye halo headlights, like those found on high-end sports cars, light emitting diode (LED) turn signals and clearance lights and easier-to-use door handles.

Weishaar said E-ONE was asked to lower the height of the door handles so firefighters of any size and shape could more easily access the cab. To help achieve that, the first entry step was dropped nearly three inches and an intermediate step was added.

The Quest cab width measures 100 inches, matching the body, to provide additional interior room and three seats across the back.

Weishaar said other convenience features were built into the Quest, including an optional glove box on the officers’ side of the vehicle, a computer stand and clipboard storage.

The Quest provides easy-to-reach siren controls for both the driver and officer. It also has steering wheel controls, power windows and locks, power brakes and accelerator pedals and an advanced braking system.

The hybrid command center vehicle introduced by E-ONE at the conference is built on an International cab and chassis. Weishaar said E-ONE was the first apparatus builder in the fire service to develop a concept vehicle with hybrid technology.

“It pretty much looks like a normal command vehicle,” he said.

The hybrid is powered by a 265 hp diesel engine and a large auxiliary electric motor using 340-volt DC hybrid battery power. Regenerative braking recharges the battery.

“The zero to 60 mph rate is nine seconds quicker than just a diesel engine,” Weishaar said.

To do its part to reduce emissions and conserve fuel, E-ONE designed a hybrid concept command vehicle using an electric motor and a diesel engine.

At an incident scene, Weishaar said the hybrid command vehicle would operate off the battery pack, which would be converted into usable 120-volt AC power to supply light towers, communications equipment and other electric devices.

A Generator For Free

“It’s like getting a 25,000-watt generator for free,” he said. “You don’t need a generator because you’ve got this incredible battery storage unit, and that’s your power.”

As the battery pack is depleted by use, he said the vehicle’s diesel engine would start and recharge the battery pack at a cycle of four minutes of run time for 12 minutes of power.

E-ONE pursued hybrid technology to help meet the federal government’s goal of reducing dependency on foreign energy sources by 20 percent over the next 10 years and to help reduce emissions, Weishaar said.

“The command vehicle is the real strike zone for this technology and where it will continue to evolve,” he said.

E-ONE introduced several other products at the show, including an urban pumper to help meet the needs of firefighters in big cities and help keep them safe.

Ground-Level Access

Because it has a low hosebed height – 60 inches – the urban pumper provides ground-level access to ladders and hosebed contents. Weishaar said the pumper’s hosebed was designed to keep people off the tailboard.

“Having a hosebed 60 inches off the ground is enough news in its own right, but being able to combine it with 780 gallons of water and combine it with different ladder storage capabilities, inside or out, is what we bring to the party,” he said.

Two new E-ONE aerial devices were also on display at the FDIC show, a 100-foot platform and a 134-foot Bronto articulating platform.

Weishaar explained that E-ONE extended its platform product from 92 feet to 100 feet permitting fire departments to get full Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings.

The company was able to build the apparatus on a 254-inch wheelbase, making it highly maneuverable while incorporating E-ONE’s underslung stabilizing jack system, Weishaar said.

“If you can open the doors on the cab, you can deploy your jacks,” he said.

 

E-ONE also included its all-new variable speed control (VSC) system on the platform, which elevates and rotates the aerial. “NFPA requires aerials set up to be fully deployed in 150 seconds,” Weishaar said. “We are doing that now in just under 100 seconds.”

E-ONE’s 134-foot Bronto articulating aerial was the tallest at the show, reaching high above the crowd in the RCA Dome.

“The Bronto concept is not new,” Weishaar said. “But we now are offering 134-foot platforms on a single-axle, where as before, we had only 100-foot, 114-foot and a 118-foot industrial Bronto available in the United States.”

The company’s new aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle is called the Titan Force F6. Weishaar said the apparatus is fully tested to the new tilt-table standards for stability and roll protection.

While it is not an apparatus, Weishaar was also excited to introduce E-ONE’s EzWriter, an online truck configuration tool, a system he said was an industry first.

“We are truly putting the power of the department’s ability to customize an apparatus in the department’s control,” he said.

Firefighters can simply log on to E-ONE’s Web site and get a custom apparatus drawing based on information they provide within three minutes, along with contact information about dealers in their area.

“This is really a tool to greatly empower our entire distribution, but more importantly staying focused on the department’s individual needs,” he said. “Whatever their mission critical needs are, they know better than us what they need, and now we’ve given them the ability to design the truck to fit their particular needs.”

For information call 352-237-1122 or go to www.e-one.com.