Rescue trucks are cool. They use technology to save lives. And the Nissan Navara EnGuard concept is one of the coolest, most cutting-edge emergency vehicles we've seen in a long time. Revealed at the Hannover Motor Show in Germany, this capable truck has portable battery packs than can be recharged by the truck's diesel engine. The 2-kilowatt units have seven internal battery modules, similar to the ones used by the Leaf and other Nissan electric vehicles. They have seven outlets and are designed to power heavy machinery in hazardous places, like caves, where gasoline-powered tools could prove cumbersome or flammable.
The EnGuard isn't just a charge port. The truck is raised two inches, runs on snazzy neon green wheels underneath custom fenders, has LED roof lights, and a high powered winch. It runs a 2.3-liter twin-turbo diesel making 187 horsepower. Fiberglass trays hold radios, an axe, and ropes. There are also oxygen tanks and life jackets. Naturally, there's a drone, a DJI Phantom 4, that can fly to nearly 20,000 feet and relay images that are displayed on a 20.5-inch HD screen in the truck.
Nissan is using the Navara EnGuard concept to highlight its Intelligent Mobility vision, which is a company goal to develop vehicles with lower emissions and traffic fatalities. The Navara is the global version of the Frontier pickup sold in the United States, though they are engineered differently for their own markets.