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BOLLINGER INTERVIEW: FOUNDER AND CEO TALKS ELECTRIC TRUCKS

Bollinger’s Founder touches on the worlds first electric chassis cab truck

Bollinger Motors B1 B2 Front

Pickup trucks are the workhorse vehicles of the United States. Yes there are highly kitted out trim packages that make these trucks bonafide luxury vehicles, but their work-ready commercial counterparts are truly some of the most important tools that tradesmen use on a daily basis. Offerings like the Ford Super Duty or Ram Heavy Duty can be seen on job sites across the country, whether that be in construction, utility work, or even as emergency services vehicles. Now though there is a new Class 3 challenger vying for commercial vehicle sales: the Bollinger Motors B2 Chassis Cab. We sat down with company founder and CEO Robert Bollinger to ask just how well he thinks this B2CC stacks up against the competition.

The Bollinger Motors B2CC is the world’s first all electric Class 3 chassis cab truck, based on Bollinger’s E-Chassis. That means the new commercial vehicle carries the same 120 kWh battery pack and dual motor setup as the B1 and B2 models. Total output comes in at 614 horsepower and 668 pound feet of torque, all while offering up to 200 miles of range. While the electric truck market is rapidly expanding, Bollinger is quite confident they’ve set themselves apart from the crowd with this platform.

Bollinger B2 Chassis Cab
Bollinger Motors B2CC. Image Courtesy of Bollinger Motors.

“There are no other vehicles in this space,” said Bollinger. “We’re the only electric Class 3 truck coming out. If you want what our trucks offer and know what goes into our trucks you’ll buy it. No other vehicle on the planet, electric or otherwise, has 15 inch ground clearance, 10 inch wheel travel, a pass through that stores 16 foot boards, 36 inch fording depth, 50/50 weight balance, removable doors, and more.”

Indeed, the Bollinger Motors B2 promises to be a highly capable truck, specifically when it comes to its off-road capability. However, there was not a lot of initial interest or demand for a Chassis Cab variant of the truck before it was released, according to Bollinger. Revealing the B2CC is a demonstration of what the company can do with electrification.

“I don’t think people realized that this is something that can be done with electric,” said Bollinger. “Everyone has had years to get to know EVs, and now everyone is excited about electric pickup trucks. So it’s great to be the first to show that electric can be a super tough Class 3 base for just about any variation of work truck out there.”

Bollinger Motors B2CC. Image Courtesy of Bollinger Motors.

The B2CC has been positioned as an electric alternative to gasoline powered trucks of the same nature, though its towing and payload capabilities are not quite up to par with the competition. With a payload capacity of 5,000 pounds and a maximum towing rating of 7,500 pounds, the Bollinger B2 Chassis Cab slots in somewhere between a half-ton truck and more traditional chassis cab trucks like the Ram 3500. By comparison, a Ram 3500 Heavy Duty is rated to tow 35,100 pounds with a payload capacity of 7,680 pounds when equipped with the 6.7L Cummins diesel engine,

Towing and payload capacity aren’t the most important figures for every chassis cab application, but they do matter. There are no figures yet to determine how the range of the trucks will be impacted by the added weight of buyers chosen bed option, though we have to imagine that range will be affected. Then of course there is the price tag associated with the Bollinger Motors B2 truck, which carries a base price of $125,000. While no pricing information has been official at this time for the Chassis Cab variant, it should fall in line with the rest of the model range.

Bollinger Motors E-Chassis. Image Courtesy of Bollinger Motors.

The Bollinger Motors B2 Chassis Cab is the first vehicle of its kind, and it deserves recognition as such. The Ferndale-based company has proven that building an EV truck for the job site is possible, though it will be up to the customers to decide whether or not EV’s have a space in the commercial vehicle market.

Written by Lucas Bell

Lucas holds a journalism degree from Wayne State University, and is a Automotive Press Association scholarship recipient. While an American muscle fan through and through, he once wrote a fascinating comparison review about eScooters.

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