Bollinger B1 is an awesome, all-electric Swiss Army knife of a truck

Domenick

Domenick

Well-Known Member
Bollinger Motors launched the B1 near the end of July (2017), and appears to be a pretty big hit. Flagrantly boxy, this thing is a beast, but also very utilitarian. Personally, I love designs like this that scream "Take my money," even if there's no way I could afford one.

InsideEVs has a number of posts on them, but this debut piece should answer most questions.
https://insideevs.com/bollinger-b1-electric-truck/
Bollinger B1 Electric Truck Ready For Work, CHAdeMO Fast Charging – Watch Livestream Debut
Bollinger HalfCab.webp
 
I wonder if an all electric full size truck can perform well. I know when I'm hauling the big issue is the take off, which an electric would do well at. Seems the focus now is commercial electric trucks, but hope some heavy duty half-ton size trucks are in the works.
 
The Bollinger boys just released another video. This time the B1 makes a trip to the dynometer. Can't wait to see if they hit their numbers.

 
I'm very much hoping that Bollinger will succeed at making a profit with this EV. It's great that they're offering something in a market that's otherwise not being served by any plug-in EV.

I wonder if you really do need a commercial driver's license to drive something that's classed as a heavy truck, like this vehicle? Well, it's really intended more for offroad use (at construction sites and the like), so perhaps even if it does need a commercial driver's license to drive on public roads, plenty of people can still drive them off-road.

Go Bollinger!
 
Pushmi-Pullyu said:
I wonder if you really do need a commercial driver's license to drive something that's classed as a heavy truck, like this vehicle?
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Pretty sure that's not the case.
Even big straight trucks with 26-foot boxes can be driven without a commercial driver's license, at least under certain conditions. For instance, I drove a straight truck for a number of years with just a regular driver's license. I used to stress about it, but it seemed like I would at least need a class B. But the company assured me many times that as long as I stayed within 100 miles of the depot, I was fine.
 
Bollinger B1 To Go On Sale In U.S. In Mid 2019, Exports To Begin In 2020

Bollinger wants to sell the B1 in the Middle East. It's apropos, then, that they tried it out in some deep, loose sand. Lucky for us they took video.

I think also that it was pretty gutsy to take the truck off-roading on their way to SEMA in Las Vegas, where they showed it off. If something had of gone terribly wrong, as things are wont to do, it would have been a pretty painful experience. Shows these guys have a lot of confidence in their design.

I guess that's why, on their way back to the East coast, they decided it would be a good idea to take it out for a spin on Colorado's mountainous "Road of Death."

 
This video from the recent SEMA show got overlooked somehow, but has a couple notable bits to it, including a look at the smooth underside. I would also point out the nice thunk the front lift gate makes, as well as the cool opening mechanism -- a twist of the company logo on the nose.

Perhaps of interest to the people in this thread (and the UK, Australia, Japan, etc), it has been engineered for right-hand drive.

 
Just found a clip by Autoline checking out the B1 at the L.A. Auto Show.

If you seen all the videos above, there's not much new here, but I did get the feeling that when the list price is announced, it will be somewhere below $100,000. I've been pondering price of this for a while, and hoping they can get it to start at $75,000 (or less, of course).

Bonus that John McElroy, not the most EV-embracing auto journalist ever, seemed to take a shine to it.

 
Charlene and I have a reservation for the B1 because even though we drive a Tesla MS now we expect any Tesla pickup to be way too "consumerized" for our needs and desires. The B1 is exactly what we need, sturdy, useful and powered by electricity. I was a little disappoint when Bollinger replied that the 100 kWh pack would be heated but not cooled. However, since this is really a L3 charging capability issue we are determined to buy one. Nearly all of our charging will be off a solar collector/storage system at L1...
 
Awesome machine. I love Wranglers and their versatility. The B1 puts a whole new spin on off-roading. I wouldn't be surprised if they could get $100K for early adopters, but I don't see why a lower price point wouldn't be likely. What the market will bear I suppose.
 
Apexerman said:
Awesome machine. I love Wranglers and their versatility. The B1 puts a whole new spin on off-roading. I wouldn't be surprised if they could get $100K for early adopters, but I don't see why a lower price point wouldn't be likely. What the market will bear I suppose.
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I'm pretty curious about the price. I expect it to be $80,000, but that's a complete guess. If it's lower, I'll be pleasantly surprised.
 
Bollinger has stated that their design is focused on utility, as the roots are in; "what does a farm truck need to do..." With that in view it would not be consistent to offer a vehicle that costs as much as a Tesla Model S.
 
JackA said:
Bollinger has stated that their design is focused on utility, as the roots are in; "what does a farm truck need to do..." With that in view it would not be consistent to offer a vehicle that costs as much as a Tesla Model S.
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Certainly hope it's cheaper, but farm trucks can get pretty expensive nowadays. Care to take a guess at its price?

RAM config.webp
 
$74,450 for a wildly overbuilt pickup styled to resemble a semi tractor.

Yeah, it is amazing what some (mostly American) guys will pay to pump up their "macho" image.

And yeah, if you're gonna pay that kind of money for a work truck, then it would make far more sense to buy something rugged and powerful like the Bollinger B1, rather than a pickup with a high front end facade pasted on it.

Gotta admit, though, that the interior of the B1 startlingly spartan for a vehicle in that price range. Looks like one of the postwar pickups I learned to drive with, back on my grandpa's farm. It was made back when they didn't even have such things as padded dashes, let alone seat belts or air bags! I'm definitely a fan of the "function over style" form of the B1, but any modern road vehicle should be designed with passenger safety in mind, and the B1 very definitely is not.

Bollinger_B1_0008-889x592.jpg
 
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