Why the Los Angeles Fire Department just added 30 electric motorcycles to its fleet

The Los Angeles Fire Department is adding a new tool to its emergency response arsenal, and it’s not your typical fire truck. The department is rolling out 30 new ERidePro electric motorcycles designed to serve as fast, highly mobile medical response units.

Unlike traditional EMS vehicles, these aren’t meant to replace ambulances. Instead, they’re built to get personnel on scene faster, especially in situations where access is limited by traffic, rough terrain, or disaster conditions.

“When access is limited, timing is critical,” LAFD Chief Jamie Moore explained to CBS. “In our line of work, time is not just important, it’s everything.”

Each unit will be operated by a two-person team, effectively creating compact, agile medical response crews that can reach patients more quickly than larger vehicles. Once on scene, riders can begin basic medical support, assess hazards, and coordinate further response efforts, including ambulance transport if needed.

Donated by Google and YouTube, the light electric motorcycles are more than just electric dirt bikes with lights slapped on them.

“These aren’t patrol bikes, they are mobile medical units assigned to our disaster response section and fully integrated into our dispatch and command system,” Moore explained.

That integration is key to the effectiveness of the vehicles. The electric motorcycles will be used not only for patient care, but also for real-time situational reporting. In large-scale emergencies like earthquakes, where roads may be blocked or infrastructure damaged, the bikes can weave through tight or compromised spaces to locate victims, assess risks, and relay critical information back to command centers. It’s a role that micromobility has increasingly addressed over the years, providing smaller rapid response vehicles that can navigate complicated scenes or diverse terrain more quickly.

They’re also expected to play a major role in search operations, expanding the department’s ability to quickly cover more ground in the early stages of an incident.

The LAFD’s new e-moto fleet is just the latest example of how smaller, more nimble electric vehicles are finding their place alongside traditional emergency equipment. While they won’t replace fire engines or ambulances, they can fill an important gap – getting help where it’s needed faster.