It was with some sadness that I wrote back in January that interesting US start-up Bollinger Motors was halting development of their utilitarian B2 off-road ute and B1 SUV vehicles.
At that time Bollinger stated the development halt was in order to pivot to producing larger cab-chassis trucks for the commercial market.
Some thought that might be the beginning of the end for Bollinger, given the number of aspiring EV manufacturers that have quietly disappeared after an initial flurry of positive announcements and prototype showings.
However, Bollinger has returned: this time announcing the development of a Class 4 all-electric fleet truck, the Bollinger B4 cab chassis. The B4 design is a cab-forward design with (to use their words) ‘industry-leading safety, cargo, and turn circle capabilities’.
Class 4 is a US definition: They are defined as 14,001 to 16,000 pounds (6.35 to 7.25 metric tonne) and together with Classes 5 and 6 (7.25 through to 11.8 tonne), make up the US category of ‘Medium Trucks’.
As such, US Class 4 vehicles would roughly equate to a ‘light rigid’ heavy vehicle here. (Classified as 4.5 to 8 tonne). Typical of this class of cab-chassis vehicles are medium sized furniture vans/flat tray trucks.
Specifications for the B4 cab-chassis are fairly light-on at this stage, but is has been announced as having a solid rear-axle e-drive, 800V battery architecture (for faster charging) and based on LFP chemistry cells.
LFP is slightly less energy dense that some other battery chemistries, but it does offer better fire safety and lower manufacturing costs. Also, given the amount of space available in a truck ladder frame, the slightly larger size required for a LFP battery pack is hardly a problem!
According to Bollinger, customers may outfit their B4s with either one or two battery packs to accommodate cost and range requirements – each pack offering roughly 160km of range.
It is worth noting here that the uptake of EV trucks in the US will be aided by the recent Inflation Reduction Act recently signed into law by US President Joe Biden. The B4 and similar EV trucks are expected to be eligible for a 30% EV truck tax credit up to $40,000 under a provision of that Act.
Following this announcement, Bollinger Motors will be track testing their B4 through the latter part of this year as well as placing prototypes with fleet customers, vehicle body builders, and charging providers to gather feedback. After that, Bollinger plan to announce pricing and a release date for the B4.
Bollinger trucks also note in their announcement that after the release of the B4, they plan to begin trials and production of larger (Class 5 and 6) trucks.
Bryce Gaton is an expert on electric vehicles and contributor for The Driven and Renew Economy. He has been working in the EV sector since 2008 and is currently working as EV electrical safety trainer/supervisor for the University of Melbourne. He also provides support for the EV Transition to business, government and the public through his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.