UK-based tuning company ProSpeed has unveiled an unusual aftermarket take on the Toyota Hilux. What used to be a workhorse of a pickup became a firefighter truck built specifically to extinguish EV fires.
Dubbed the Hiload 6x6, the vehicle comes loaded with plenty of special equipment and sports a longer bed with a third driven axle to support it.
The new bed offers 1,230 mm (48 inches) of extra length and features a dedicated compartment for firefighting gear and a 1,200-liter water tank. It was made tall enough to be practical, but at the same time compact enough to access underground parking lots.
Aside from the reworked chassis now rated for carrying 3 metric tons (6,600 pounds), the Hilux ended up with bull bars, extra lighting and off-road tires. The team behind the project argued it would have an easier time reaching vehicles stranded away from asphalt roads with these tires.
In addition to the conventional firefighting means, the vehicle carries Coldcut Cobra, an original device by ProSpeed that uses a sharp probe to pierce the battery pack of a burning EV and inject water straight inside the power cell array. With this solution, the otherwise nasty EV fires may take as little as 10 minuts and 240 liters (63 U.S. gallons) of water to put out.
The manufacturer says it plans to mass-produce these items and sell them as DIY truck conversion kits.
