Bollinger Motors was established in 2015 by its founder Robert Bollinger who has a background in industrial design as you probably tell by the look of the Bolinger B1 SUV below. There is also the sibling B2 pickup built on the same electric skateboard platform. Both the B1 & B2 are set to be launched in 2021, first in the US and Canada and then globally. So what can these large fully electric vehicles tow? Well, they will get a 7,500 lb towing capacity US, its likely it will be a 3,500 kg towing capacity in the UK.
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Update
The development of the B1 & B2 has been postponed (see here)
Key Bollinger B1 & B2 Specs
- Official Towing Capacity – 7,500 lbs US, likely 3,500 kg UK
- Availability – 2021 in the US, UK unknown
- Price – $125,000 in the US, UK price unknown
- Estimated Range – 200+ miles (Bollinger Claim)
- Estimated Towing Range (50%) – 100 miles (Based on Bollinger Claim)
- Maximum Charge Rate – 100 to 150 kW
Bollinger B1 & B2 HP & Torque
- Bollinger B1 & B2 = 614 HP and 668 ft lbs of Torque
Bollinger B1 & B2 Towing Capabilities
If you have been reviewing my previous articles on say the Tesla Cybertruck or the Rivian R1T, as soon as you saw the figures above for the Bollinger B1 SUV and the B2 pickup your first impressions were probably how much! Yes, the price, range, towing range and maximum charge rate do not compare well against the likes of Tesla and Rivian.
The Bollinger specs above even make the GMC Hummer EV seem like a good deal by comparison. However, really, those vehicles are not competition for the B1 and B2, for their key target audience anyway, commercial buyers.
If you are looking for an electric tow car/truck for your own personal needs I’m sure Bollinger would be happy to sell you a vehicle. However, the average consumer is not who Bollinger is targetting with these vehicles. Both the B1 and B2 have been designed primarily as commercial work trucks.
The cabin of the vehicles is extremely basic, no screens, just a few simple dials, switches and levers. From what I can tell, there isn’t even a radio in the cabin and there are no electric windows. The B1 and B2 are designed to be simple/rugged electric vehicles that are extremely practical in a commercial working environment.
For instance, you can load full-sized sheets of 6×4 plywood in the bed of the B2 pickup, and full lengths of lumber through the gear tunnel.
Not Suitable (Or Designed) For Long Distance Towing
Both the Bollinger B1 & B2 come with a relatively large by current standards 142kW battery pack. Now, I don’t have any EV-Database range figures I can reference for the B1 SUV or B2 pickup as yet, though Bollinger expects a result of at least 200 miles, but probably not much more.
Why is that? Primarily because these rugged vehicles are heavy, were talking 5,000 lbs (2.2 tons) unladen. Furthermore, they have the aerodynamic qualities of a brick. Hence, we’re probably looking at a towing range of around 100 miles in general. At highway speeds probably less, due to the boxy nature of the vehicles hurting aerodynamic performance at speed.
So in short, neither the Bollinger B1 or B2 will be suitable for long-distance towing. But again, that’s not what they are designed for, so its to be expected. I suspect both Bollinger vehicles will be very good at what they are designed to tow, heavy commercial trailers over relatively short distances and over rough terrain. In that specific context, the Bollinger B1 and B2 will likely be more suitable than many other electric vehicles.
My Thoughts On The Bollinger B1 & B2…
In summary then, if you are looking for an electric car/truck for towing a caravan/trailer/boat etc at high speeds down the motorway over long distances, then a Bollinger vehicle will not be suitable for your needs.
The towing range on the motorway I predict will be around 100 miles in most instances. Therefore, there are/will be much more practical/affordable electric tow cars for that sort of leisure towing requirement. Just check out my electric tow car/truck list.
However, if you are looking for a true work truck that doesn’t need to cover several hundred miles a day while towing, then the B1 or B2 could be a viable option for some commercial customers.
As Bollinger is focused currently on small scale production, the $125,000 (potentially £125,000) price is unlikely to change that much anytime soon. However, for a business, where the total cost of ownership of a vehicle is extremely important that price may very well be worth it.