Blog Bollinger Motors to Unveil All-Electric Sport Utility Truck

After months of teasing abstract pictures of the project in progress, Bollinger Motors will unveil today its all-electric sport utility truck at an event in New York. The company will stream the event at 7 p.m. ET on its Facebook page.

The electric drive system is built from off-the shelf components, but is powered by a Bollinger-designed lithium-ion battery pack. The vehicle is said to have easily replaceable riveted body panels, enabling owners to rapidly transform from truck to SUV.

The company’s website promises best-in-class torque, horsepower, ground clearance, and power weight ratio.

 

[RobStark]

 

[AudubonB]

Some of you know my non-Tesla vehicles are pickups (F-350, F-250 & E-350)...but the other ones are Land Cruisers - a 1980 BJ40 and a 1988 FJ62, so.....

...it's no surprise I like very, very much what I'm seeing in this Bollinger reveal.

Now back to the Live Blog -

 

[AudubonB]

AutoBlog is saying "luxury"....I don't think that word means what they think it means. But - those must be portal or portal-style axles as it looks like a true 15.5" clearance for 100% of the undercarriage, which is extremely impressive. Nothing with a pumpkin can break the 8" barrier, I believe.

 

[RobStark]

Up close view of the truck starting at 17:40. Shows complete video with more specs than Autoblog vid. 100 kWh version 200 miles of range 60 kWh version 120 miles of range.

 

[McRat]

Holy crap. Did anybody let them know that you can make curves, not just straight lines, on a CNC?

It's not as attractive as an H1 Hummer. So the H1 is no longer the ugliest expensive car ever sold.

 

[Etna]

Their no BS attitude is refreshing for an EV startup. Looks promising!

 

[RobStark]

AutoBlog is saying "luxury"....I don't think that word means what they think it means. But - those must be portal or portal-style axles as it looks like a true 15.5" clearance for 100% of the undercarriage, which is extremely impressive. Nothing with a pumpkin can break the 8" barrier, I believe.

If the B1 starts at ~$100k I think it is fair to call it off-road luxury.

If the B1 starts at ~$50k then Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco need to back to the drawing board.

 

[johnnyS]

Do they say anything about price? I think this is exciting.

 

[RobStark]

Do they say anything about price?

Will release pricing information this November or December.

 

[EchoDelta]

Reserved...
AKA "subscribe to the newsletter" apparently.

 

[gene]

I've spent much of my life in the back country from the Sahara to the Arctic. Though this Bollinger doesn;t carry as much cargo as I could use, if they tied into Tesla's Superchargers, I'd buy one tomorrow!

I'd be interested in knowing how they handle the drawbacks of inboard brakes. Such as when you come to a stop, the torsion in the axles is like a spring giving you a stop like a rubberband with a final foward and back and forward again motion. Second, inboard brakes put extraordinary stress on the outer CV joints making them and the axles want to twist into a pretzel.

 

[Ulmo]

I really like:

• 49" for 4'x8' sheet storage
• pass-through door for long storage
• work plug
  
• 15.5" ground clearance
• self-leveling adjustable hydropneumatic suspension
• low center of gravity (of course)
• The adaptability for those who want a pickup style; equally, that it can serve the pickup style marketplace and I won't be forced to have a pickup to get those economies of scale (since I don't like pickups and do like vans, and the market loves pickups, so I'll be able to cash in on the pickup economies of scale without needing to have a pickup -- oh wait, is this premium only pricing?)

Questions:

• How safe is that?
• Any air bags?
• What are the crumple zones like?
• How fast does it charge? What standards?
• Cost?
• How much can it tow? Can it tow?
• What kind of weight can it carry?
• Can a van box be fitted on?
• What's the vehicle weight ratings?
• Warranties on different systems?
• Third party service policies? Parts policies?
• How easy have all the components been made to work on?
• How water safe is it? Like, can I ford a 20.5" pond? Would I be swept away in a 16.5" creek? Would I sink? My guess is that this is not a target item for this product.
• How many winches can be attached to it? (Front, back) ... and would the winch mounts be strong enough to lift the entire vehicle (say up a cliff or hill, pretty common for mountaineers)?

Extremely subjective eye of the beholder:

• I love the look. The simplicity of unshaped parts makes this seem like it could be fairly repairable.

 

[RobStark]

How safe is that? Any air bags? What are the crumple zones like?

Air bags are required for on-road use. On sale date is 19 months away. So those will be added almost for sure. If this is strictly an off-road use only vehicle its market is super tiny.

Crumple zones look much better than Bolt EV.

 

[RobStark]

 

[McRat]

 

[mongo]

Small volume manufacturers ( <10k/yr total production ) can apply for hardship exemptions for air bags among other things (no guarantee they get them). Tesla did that with the Roadster due to the Elise not having advanced airbags.

 

[RobStark]

"Bollinger says it is in talks with “third-party independent vehicle manufacturers in the U.S. who are conducting feasibility studies and financial estimates.” Because of this, the company has no information to share just yet about a possible price or annual production numbers. These figures are supposed to come later this year, but Bollinger Motors is saying that it will start taking $1,000 deposits in early 2018 and deliveries will begin by February 2019. "

• Charge time of 7 hours (60 kWh) or 12 hours (100 kWh), with CHAdeMO DC Fast Charging available (45 or 75 minutes, respectively)
• 67.4 MPGe estimate
• The B1 is 150 inches long, 76.5 inches wide, and 73.5 inches high and has a 50/50 weight balance
• More info in link

Bollinger B1 Electric Truck Ready For Work, CHAdeMO Fast Charging

 

[RobStark]

Bollinger unveils new minimalist and badass-looking all-electric truck with up to 200 miles of range

 

[Bebop]

Not sure I like the Old War Aesthetic look to it. Interesting car for sure. I imagine getting this over a Jeep.