Bollinger Motors Reveals its B1 & B2 Fully-Electric Utilitarian Trucks

author: FutureCar Staff    

The Bollinger Motors B1

Electric truckmaker Bollinger Motors revealed its B1 and B2 electric trucks on Thursday. The Detroit-based EV startup is taking on General Motors, Ford and FCA in the popular truck segment which is no easy task, especially since the company's trucks are fully-electric.

Bollinger's battery-powered trucks are dubbed as "sport utility trucks" more closely resembling a Jeep Wrangler or Land Rover Defender. The 4-door B1 has a shorter wheelbase, while the B2 is essentially the same as the B1 with a 20 inch longer wheelbase and extended cargo area.

The B1 and B2 Class-3 trucks were built from the ground up by Michigan-based company, who set up shop in Detroit in the back yard of the U.S. auto industry. Unlike the sea of pickups and SUVs filling mall parking lots across the U.S., Bollinger's trucks are designed for serious off-roading and utility.

Bollinger is designing its trucks to be utilitarian and customizable for many different uses. You won't find fancy paint jobs, leather seats, touchscreen displays or faux luxury interiors like a Tesla or luxury SUV or pickup from GM or Ford. Bollinger is targeting customers that want to take their truck on an adventure or get some heavy-duty work done.

Not only are the trucks functional, they are designed to be reliable and more importantly, upgradeable. Bollinger said its trucks are meant to last forever, so it's last electric truck you'll ever need to buy.

Bollinger is also developing a line of accessories so costumers can outfit and customize their trucks to their specific needs. Bollinger built the two trucks to be simple to configure. For example, customers can easily remove the glass, doors, roof panels and rear seats to best suite their needs. The trucks have an all-aluminum body.

The B2 truck has a bed that expands to 8 feet.

Bollinger's B1 and B2 trucks have a dual motor all-wheel drive setup with in-wheel gear hubs, which offer greater horsepower and torque while increasing the ground clearance. For the drivetrain,  Bollinger designed portal axles, which sit above the center of the wheel hubs. This setup gives the B1 and 2 the extra ground clearance for serious off-roading and just about anything else.

The fully-electric powertrain delivers 650 ft lbs of torque. The trucks can carry a 5,000 pound payload and tow up to 7,500 pounds. 

For those who want to use their trucks for work, Bollinger is building a 120 kWh battery pack that not only powers the truck but can be used for the truck's heavy duty power electronics, including a 110 and 220 volt outlets for power tools or other devices. 

Both the B1 and B2 will have a standard J1772 charging connector that accepts level 1, 2 or 3 charging. Charging the battery pack to 80% takes less than an hour. The B1 and B2 have a 200 mile range. Top speed is 100 mph.

The longer wheelbase B2 has a bed that extends from 6 to 8 feet. Bollinger says the bed can hold 72 sheets of ¼ inch plywood. Bollinger added a passthrough between the seats and in the dash for fitting longer items. Since there is no front engine, the passthrough continues under the dash to the front of the truck. The passthrough accommodates a 16 foot long pipe or piece of lumber.

The passthrough extend through the front of the truck since there is no gas engine blocking it.

Bollinger Motors is not alone in the electric truck space. Tesla is working on its own pickup truck and another new startup named Rivian is making a fully-electric pickup and SUV. 

Ford Motor Co is rumored to be working on a electric version of its popular F-150 pickup, the best selling pickup in the U.S. However, Ford customers might have a hard time giving up the gas powered engine, unless they are convinced that electric is better, which is what Bollinger is counting on to win over truck customers from Ford, GM and Dodge.

Customers interested in the B1 or B2 can reserve one on Bollinger's website. The no obligation reservation requires no money down and the company says it received around 32,000 reservations so far.

Production is scheduled to start in the second half of 2020. Bollinger said that pricing will be announced soon.

FutureCar Staff