PANTHER 6×6 electric to Dallas Love Field Airport

Innovative Partnership between Rosenbauer and Dallas Fire Rescue Department brings PANTHER 6×6 electric to Dallas Love Field Airport

Leonding, December 11, 2024 – Rosenbauer America and the Dallas Fire Rescue Department have entered into an innovative partnership aimed at the joint further development of the PANTHER 6×6 electric through to series production. The pre-series vehicle will be delivered in mid-2025 and will operate at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), making it the first airport to receive a PANTHER 6×6 electric.

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department plays an important role as a cooperation partner. During the approximately 6-month test phase, the vehicle will be put through its paces. Tests will include integration into daily operations, performance compared to the current fleet, and functionality in training operations. The insights gained is passed on to the product team and flows directly into further development. After the completion of the testing phase, the PANTHER 6×6 electric will be integrated into the fleet as a regular operational vehicle.

“The Dallas Fire Rescue Department is proud and excited for the opportunity to partner with Rosenbauer in the creation and development of a new and sustainable technology that will help lower our carbon footprint while ensuring the safety of our residents and millions of travelers who fly through Dallas Love Field every year,” said Interim Fire Chief Justin Ball.

Sebastian Wolf, CEO of Rosenbauer International, says “With the PANTHER 6×6 electric, we are setting a new benchmark in terms of performance and emission reduction in the field of airport firefighting vehicles. We are proud to test and deploy this new technology together with the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department.”

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department (DFR) is responsible for fire protection and emergency medical care for the City of Dallas and therefore, also oversees the fleet of firefighting vehicles at Dallas Love Field Airport, where the PANTHER 6×6 electric will be used at DAL ARFF Station 21. The City of Dallas’ Aviation department pays particular attention to sustainability and plans to be emission-free by 2040. In order to achieve this goal, the existing fire station is being redesigned and rebuilt as part of the “DAL ARFF Station 21 Replacement” project. The new fire station at DAL will not only be modern and optimally positioned to minimize response times but will also be geared towards energy efficiency and sustainability. This also includes gradually replacing the fleet vehicles with vehicles with alternative drive systems.

“We are excited to collaborate with the Dallas Fire Rescue Department and Dallas Love Field as partners to advance the PANTHER 6×6 electric. Findings from real operating conditions at Dallas Love Field will be incorporated into the optimization of the vehicle. This paves the way for airports to further reduce their carbon footprint in the future by using low-emission vehicles,” said Andreas Zeller, Chief Sales Officer of Rosenbauer International.

In May 2024, Dallas Love Field expanded to its carbon neutrality status and achieved Level 4 – Transformation in the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program. This made DAL, the busiest medium hub airport in the U.S., one of only five airports in the country, and one of two airports in Texas certified at Level 4 or higher in the Program. The self-funded city entity recently served over 17.6 million passengers in 2023, the most in its history, and is the sole funding source for this innovative development. On average, the airport’s airfield accommodates 675 aircraft operations per day and ranks third busiest in private aircraft traffic. Such high activity demonstrates the need for top-of-the-line safety infrastructure and rapid response times in an emergency.

In addition to the pre-series PANTHER 6×6 electric for Dallas, three prototypes have been produced and tested at the Leonding site (Austria). Since early October 2024, emergency organizations have been able to order the new PANTHER 6×6 electric. The first pre-series vehicles could be delivered as early as the end of 2025.

PANTHER 6×6 electric

With the PANTHER 6×6 electric, another Rosenbauer fire truck is available to accompany fire departments into a new era. In 2022, Rosenbauer presented a series-ready concept vehicle of the PANTHER 6×6 electric at the world’s leading trade fair Interschutz in Hanover, Germany.

Like the models with combustion engines, the PANTHER 6×6 electric offers outstanding performance. It accelerates purely electrically from 0 to 50 mph in under 25 seconds. In “Boost Mode”, this acceleration can even be achieved in under 20 seconds. A low center of gravity and a chassis perfectly matched to the application also ensure outstanding driving dynamics in every situation. The water pump can also be operated electrically at full capacity (2370 gpm).

The electric drive platform developed by Rosenbauer for the PANTHER 6×6 electric, with its associated high-voltage batteries, provides sufficient energy for the two- to three-minute drive to the operation site, the discharge of the entire extinguishing agent, and the return trip in accordance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Initial tests with prototypes show that multiple operational or movement drives can be completed on a single battery charge.

The aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle combines the safety and functionality of the current generation with the advantages of electric mobility, such as a reduction in noise and emissions. In addition to meeting global standards and airport requirements such as ICAO, NFPA 414/1900, or FAA, the PANTHER 6×6 electric is designed to help the airport sector effectively reduce its carbon footprint.

The PANTHER 6×6 electric can be charged with both direct and alternating current and has a maximum charging capacity of 300 kW. This means the vehicle is ready for the next electric operation in less than 20 minutes. An Energy Backup System is installed in the vehicle to ensure continuous use and the vehicle’s unrestricted operational capability.

Rosenbauer is convinced that the PANTHER 6×6 electric can handle well over 90% of its daily tasks, including operations and training exercises, entirely on electric power. Designed as a high-performance airport rescue and firefighting vehicle, it provides emergency crews with an environmentally friendly and more efficient working environment. With the PANTHER 6×6 electric, Rosenbauer is setting a new standard in combining power and sustainability.