Bollinger-B1-17

You’ll no doubt recall the Bollinger B1, an all-electric off-road machine with twin-motors promising gobs of torque and the off-road chops to match its trousers. The brand has released a cadre of new videos on its YouTube channel, proving they’re hard at work bringing their creation to market.

Videos which have appeared since the machine’s introduction earlier this year tout the world’s first all-electric sport utility truck, featuring an all-aluminum chassis and body styled with a t-square.

It seems buyers will have a choice of two lithium-ion battery packs: a 60kWh or 100kWh unit giving 120 miles or 200 miles of range, respectively. Batteries will be mounted low under the floor below the driver and passenger, undoubtedly giving the Bollinger a nice low center of gravity. 

READ MORE: All-Electric Bollinger B1 Pickup Offers Serious Off-Road Credentials

A brace of brushless permanent magnet motors, mounted fore and aft, propel the Bollinger B1 along the trail, churning out a not-insignificant 472 ft-lb of torque and 360 horsepower. In a bid to be taken as a serious off-roader, front and rear locking diffs are part of the package. Bollinger owners can brag to their friends about the B1’s knuckle house, geared axle hubs, putting the electric off-roader in similiar company as a certain Mercedes G-Wagen.

Like other all-electric machines, a regenerative braking system adds a bit of range by scavenging energy that would otherwise be wasted and dumping it back into the battery. An adjustable, self-leveling, hydro-pneumatic suspension sounds like it would be very handly during wheeling. Eight lug aluminum wheels are wrapped in beefy 33-inch meats. Naturally, the B1 is all-wheel drive.

The chambers housing the electronics are purported to be sealed and are said to withstand up to three feet of water for 30 minutes. 

Inside, rear seats are shown to flip and fold up like those in an old Land Rover Discovery, leaving room for a 4ft wide sheet of plywood. Since it doesn’t have an engine, no firewall is necessary, leading the engineers at Bollinger to offer the genius idea of a pass-thru door in the dashboard. This opening will give an unfettered bumper-to-bumper path for very long items.

The cab can be converted from a full SUV style to a pickup configuration. If the rear seats can remain in the latter option, it would bring to mind the seating arrangement in an old Blazer or Bronco.

Viewed by itself, it is tough to figure out the B1’s proportions. The dimensions sheet reveals a machine that is 150-inches long, 73.5-inches high, and 76.5-inches wide, riding on a 105-inch wheelbase. The wheelbase is eleven inches shorter than that found on a Wrangler Unlimited, and its 68-inch front and rear track is half a foot wider than the Jeep.

Tesla has taught us that a great benefit of an all-electric drivetrain is its ability to offer 100 percent of its torque right off the line at zero rpm. On the street, that characteristic provides face-bending acceleration. Off-road, where torque is king and momentum is your friend, it should prove to be an equally useful trait.

Check out the rest of Bollinger’s videos below.