The Eugene Springfield Fire Department received Tuesday the first in a new line of locally built electric trikes the vehicle manufacturer hopes will change the way first responders reach people in need of emergency help.
Arcimoto, which last year launched its three-wheel Fun Utility Vehicle after a dozen years of redesign and development, now has delivered the first Rapid Responder model to the local fire department. The fire department will put the pilot vehicle through its paces and offer the company feedback for future design changes that may help the Rapid Responder become a more useful tool in other agencies' fleets.
"They were the very first to volunteer to test the Rapid Responder about a year ago," said Arcimoto founder Mark Frohnmayer. "It has the ability to get to places you could never get to in a much larger vehicle."
There are three designs for Arcimoto products: the standard Fun Utility Vehicle, which had been delivered to 45 customers by the end of last year; the Rapid Responder; and the not-yet-manufactured Deliverator, which will be used to make deliveries.
All the models are based on the same platformsharing about 95% of their parts, according to Frohnmayera two-wheels-in-the-front, one-wheel-in-the-back fully electric vehicle about the size of a golf cart.
All are made at a factory in Eugene. Frohnmayer said Arcimoto was producing four FUVs per week at the end of last year and since has doubled that rate.
"The primary feature of the Rapid Responder is that it has a light bar on the roof and a siren and horn for getting through traffic," Frohnmayer said. "We're going to be working with our local responders to determine what exactly the default kit should be for other parts of the vehicle."
The fire department will test a second Arcimoto vehicle in a few months, this one a Deliverator model to haul firefighting equipment, according to Deputy Chief Markus Lay. Meanwhile, Lay expects to put the Rapid Responder to the test — and he's already got a few ideas how they'll do it.
"We see deploying it on a daily basis for special venues, and maybe deploying it in tandem with our fire engines to access our bike paths," Lay said. "The Eugene Marathon is coming up, and a lot of that is ran on the bike paths. We have access problems in all those places where someone might be having a serious medical problem."
Lay said the all-electric vehicle likewise will help meet city carbon emission goals, and if they have any problems or suggestions, Arcimoto is right down the road.
"It's pretty rare to have a response need like we do and have a manufacturer of a vehicle down the street — literally right down the street," Lay said. "In real time, on a day-to-day basis, I can call representatives from Arcimoto and say, 'We used the vehicle for this today. If we can make this tweak or this change, it will really work better.' Or, 'If you're looking at putting this in production these are the 10 things we need to look at.'"
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