Tiny fire truck designed to fight blazes in small spaces

(9 Jan 2020) LEAD IN:
A tiny electric fire truck designed for small places is on show at the CES technology show in Las Vegas.
It's the product of a partnership between Japanese company Panasonic and the Silicon Valley-based startup Tropos Motors.

STORY-LINE:
It might look like a toy, but this fire truck serves a serious purpose.
At least according to the CEO of Tropos Motors that created the vehicle in partnership with Panasonic.
"What it's designed for is to be able to fit into tight spaces. A really good example is a parking garage. Underground parking garages are 6-foot 7-inches tall of clearance. Our truck stands at 6.5," he says.
Tropos Motors is a Silicone Valley startup company that specialises in creating lower speed, smaller electric utility vehicles.
The idea is to cut costs by making smaller vehicles without downscaling what they are able to do.
All the vehicles are electric, also a cost benefit according to Bautista.
"There is a lot of value in battery electric. You know, the total cost of ownership of actually have one of these compared to even a similarly sized gasoline vehicle, it pays for itself in about a year," he says.
Tropos Motors went into partneship with Panasonic in 2019.
CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, started on Sunday 5 January in Las Vegas, with two days of media previews.
The show floor is now open to a wider audience until Friday.
More than 170,000 people are expected to attend the annual show, which is being held across a sprawling set of hotels and convention centres.

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