We Drove The Bollinger B1 Truck That Will Never See Production

The Bollinger B1 electric truck had lofty intentions and impressive capabilities, but ultimately it got shelved.

Bollinger Motors was this close to making the Bollinger B1 truck a production reality. Really, they were. But ultimately in January of 2022, they shuttered those plans. Car and Driver has reported that they will be shifting focus on their Class-3 through Class-6 commercial trucks. That said, Bollinger actually had brought a B1 through the US for a bit of a road show and we had a chance to check it out.

Inside it feels sparse, but sophisticated. Almost like if an Apple Store had tapped Alice Cooper’s color palette. Being that this was a pre-production version, nothing was really finalized, and there was no evidence of an infotainment system at all. Instead you had rudimentary controls, albeit carefully crafted.

In development of the B1, we’re told that the focus was primarily on off-road capability, rather than range. After all, if you’re using a vehicle off-road, you’re more concerned over the amount of time you can use your vehicle, versus how many miles it’ll go. And so that’s what they set out to accomplish. Range was quoted at 200 miles. But it could get through an awful lot of things in 200 miles that other EVs couldn’t.

The prototype B1 we had our hands on had rudimentary systems in place for the drivetrain and suspension systems. As such, they were more proof-of-concept in feel rather than production ready. However, all 615 horsepower available from the dual motors was present in this ride.

No matter which way you slice it, the silent shove of electricity is still an otherworldly experience. But this one wasn’t silent. Driveline noises were present, and we’re not calling that a bad thing. The noise comes from the two-speed transfer case and portal axles. This gives the B1 impressive ground clearance. But at the same time, you can lower the articulated suspension to get the car to hug the ground at highway speeds.

We’ve left styling for the last topic of discussion, because in our presence, the B1 was polarizing. Many pointed out the obvious styling touches that paid tribute to Range Rover SUVs. Others thought the design was only made up of the fewest pixels possible. No matter which way you slice it, it had presence. It’s just a shame that deposits on B1 orders are now being refunded.