Pierce Manufacturing’s Volterra electric pumper grabbed headlines with its debut in Madison and its crowning as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce’s 2022 “Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.” Meanwhile, another Oshkosh Corporation company, Oshkosh Airport Products, was simultaneously preparing to launch its own version of a life-saving EV: the Striker Volterra, an electrified version of the bright lime green, all-terrain, specialized aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle it has supplied to aviation industry clients since the 1950s.
The first Striker Volterra is currently being built in Neenah, and Oshkosh Airport Products Business Unit Director Jack Bermingham says the company already has several orders from green-minded clients, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, King County (Washington) Airport, Western Sydney (Australia) Airport and the Japanese Air Force.
“We’ve seen a lot of interest, and it’s been really exciting to see some airports that have their own sustainability initiatives. Western Sydney is trying to go 100% green,” explains Bermingham, who says the electric version of the Striker is estimated to save about 75% of fuel costs compared to the conventional model. “And it’s been an exciting journey for our company as we’ve developed technology that could help electrify the heavy vehicle.”
The Striker Volterra is heavy indeed. It has to be built to navigate difficult terrain, likely without access to fire hydrants; is wider than a conventional fire truck; and always carries enough water and foam to battle the types of blazes that can result from heavy concentrations of jet fuel.
Bermingham says Oshkosh Airport Products is highly specialized to meet the needs of the aviation industry, but it benefits from the diverse engineering resources of Oshkosh Corporation, which has been working on electric drive trains for a quarter century.
And with Oshkosh’s recent acquisition of AeroTech, the company’s aviation business is poised for growth on a variety of fronts.
“It’s a growing industry, and it’s exciting to play a part in it,” says Bermingham, who after 13 years in his role says he now “looks for the fire trucks first” when he travels by air. “Every time you land in an airport, there’s a team of people who wake up every day making sure that if something bad happens, they’re absolutely prepared for that.”
