If you’ve ever wanted a big, boxy beast of an electric truck, then Bollinger is the perfect place for you to start. And you should probably act pretty quick, because the Bollinger B1 and B2 utility vehicles are targeting deliveries in 2021. And even though Bollinger wants to sell these bad boys for a whopping $125,000, all you need right now is a $1,000 deposit.
Company founder Robert Bollinger argues that he’s aiming for the higher-end off-road enthusiast market: the people who are willing to spend good money on a vehicle and then spend tens of thousands more dollars on modifying it. While that’s a pretty niche-sounding market, Bollinger is confident that people will be interested. I, myself, am not totally convinced that there are enough really rich people in the world looking for a tank-like off-road EV to make the whole thing financially viable.
It’s a hefty price tag, but Bollinger isn’t in the get-rich-quick game. According to Car and Driver, the cost reflects the high-quality materials used and match the cost of producing each vehicle.
Here’s what Robert Bollinger had to say:
Our trucks will have a larger battery pack than anything on the road today. Each truck has two motors, two transaxle gearboxes, and four gear-hub gearboxes. It’ll be low-volume, and made from mostly U.S.-made materials. All of that together creates a powerful truck with unmatched capabilities, and it’s expensive to make.
Rather than follow the common business model of borrowing money for years and years in order to cover the high cost of producing electric vehicles, we’re pricing our vehicles to cover their material and production costs. As for covering all of the R&D and startup costs that have gone into it, we hope to turn a profit in the first few years. We have been honest and transparent during our entire journey, and this price reflects that.
It’s an interesting strategy to be sure, and one that definitely depends on what sounds to me like a very narrow audience. Hedging all your bets on the fact that there are enough people in the world who have $125,000 to throw around to get your head above water doesn’t necessarily seem like the best idea—but, hell, I’m not as familiar with the desperate money-spending tendencies of the rich as Fancy Kristen. Whether Bollinger’s strategy actually works remains to be seen.
According to Bollinger, the B1 and B2 share 90 percent of the same parts—hence why they can be priced exactly the same. The initial plan is to produce 1,000 vehicles a year before amping up production year by year to meet the projected growth in demand. Each vehicle purportedly has a 120 kWh battery pack that can provide a 200-mile range.
Bollinger hasn’t even announced the list and price of the options that will end up being available on the B1 and B2. You might want to hold off on making a big purchasing decision until then.
You can start putting down your deposits any time you like—Bollinger will take as little as $1,000 for the vehicles that will start being produced in 2020 and delivered in 2021. The good news is, if you change your mind before the actual, official pre-ordering begins (aka, if those options turn out to be far too pricey), you can get refunded whatever money you deposited.
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