Bollinger Motors reveals first all-electric sport utility truck
Inside the Industry
(July 30, 2017) NEW YORK — Bollinger Motors revealed on Friday its all-electric B1 sport utility truck to a global audience during a media event at the Classic Car Club of Manhattan. Created from a clean sheet using a lightweight aluminum architecture, the Bollinger B1 is innovating the truck category by building the world's first fully working prototype of an all-electric sport utility truck.
The B1 is painted in a special "Gunhouse" Grey, which is a nod to the road where the development work was completed, with black accents and a black satin wheel finish to complete the exterior appearance.
The vehicle incorporates a rugged, heavy-duty truck design with a classic, 3-box look that will resonate with contemporary and traditional off-road vehicle enthusiasts. At an overall length of 150 inches, a width of 76.5 inches and a height 73.5 inches, the B1 has an impressive stance and a perfect 50/50 weight balance front to back and side to side.
The dual-motor powertrain provides full-time all-wheel drive, with what Bollinger calls best in class horsepower, torque and ground clearance distinguishing it from every other truck currently on the market.
"We are so thrilled to be able to finally take the wraps off of our Bollinger B1 SUT," said Bollinger Motors' founder and CEO, Robert Bollinger. "This is the culmination of what has been a 40-year-long boyhood dream of mine and I couldn't be more pleased with the vehicle and the incredible team who worked so hard to create it."
The B1 employs an advanced chassis structure to underpin the vehicle and house its battery system and provide support for its off roading components.
The all-aluminum chassis with a high-strength, low-alloy steel rollover structure is designed for optimal off road vehicle proportions. It sports a wheelbase of 105 inches, front and rea r track of 68 inches, an approach angle of 56 degrees, departure angle of 53 degrees, and break over angle of 33 degrees. The chassis by itself weighs just 295 pounds while not sacrificing structural or torsional rigidity.
The base ride height provides for 15.5 inches of ground clearance but will be adjustable using a self-leveling, 4-wheel independent, hydro-pneumatic suspension within the 10 inches of wheel travel. Disconnect able anti-roll bars allow traction enhancing, full suspension articulation during off-road maneuvers.
"Because the entire drivetrain and battery storage system is located between the chassis rails, the B1 has abundant and unique storage areas and a very low center of gravity providing for unsurpassed stability," said Karl Hacken, Bollinger Motors' lead engineer. "The hydraulically-assisted steering rack was designed in-house allowing us the ability to fine tune the driving dynamics to our exact specifications."
The chassis rides on Mud Terrain LT285/70/R17 tires with high offset aluminum wheels for go anywhere traction and performance. The wheels are attached with eight lugs to knuckle-housed, geared axle hubs, which allow the entire suspension system to be raised on the chassis giving it the ability to clear a multitude of off-road obstructions. The regenerative braking system consists of 11.75 inch vented inboard discs and four-piston calipers.
While the Bollinger B1 sports serious off-roading credentials, the vehicle also has impressive performance statistics generating 360 horsepower and a massive 472 lb-ft of torque. And with the instant torque provided courtesy of the electric drivetrain, the B1 has a noteworthy 0-60 time of just 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 127 miles per hour. The B1 weighs in at just 3,900 pounds giving it a 10.8 power to weight ratio. With a payload capacity of 6,100 pounds, the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) checks in at just over 10,001 pounds.
"The B1 combines Bollinger Motors' advanced all-wheel-drive system with our all-electric powertrain to produce best-in-class horsepower, torque and ground clearance," said CJ Winegar, Bollinger Motors engineer. "This vehicle signifies a huge leap above what is currently on the market. There's nothing like it out there."
The B1 employs a dual-motor powertrain configuration using front- and rear- mounted synchronous electric motors driving all four wheels. The production B1 will offer two lithium ion battery pack options: 60 kWh or 100 kWh, producing either 120 miles or 200 miles in range.
"At either a 120 or 200 mile estimated range, the Bollinger B1 will have more range than most electric vehicles on the road today," said John Hutchison, Bollinger Motors engineer. "The average U.S. driver travels less than 36 miles per day, so the B1 has plenty of charge for anything you throw at it. I think we found the right combination of utility, off-road capability and range options."
The B1 has a J1772 universal connector for conventional 110V and 220V charging while Level 3 "DC Fast" charging is completed through a CHAdeMO protocol charge port on the vehicle's fender. The battery pack compartments are encased in four layers of protection between metal casings and water tight seals which are engineered to withstand submersion under 3.3ft of water for 30 minutes, which is the industry standard for EVs.
The Gunhouse Grey color and black accents are carried through to the interior with black leather seats. As this is a vehicle designed with the rugged outdoorsman in mind, the Bollinger SUT seats up to four occupants wrapped in a steel passenger safety cage. For ease of cleanup the interior can be fully hosed down as all of the instruments have rubber seals and gaskets and polyurethane-coated floor pans.
The interior is minimalist by design providing only the necessary controls to operate the vehicle both on and off road. The vehicle's generous use of aluminum continues into the occupant cabin and is featured along the instrument panel (IP). The IP has four prominent circular gauges including a digital readout for ready status, range updates, charging status and all FMVSS warning signals.
A mechanical speedometer is employed with an odometer inset; a battery level indicator; turn signals; and there's also a unique mechanical tachometer which displays the average of the two motor's revolutions per minute. All of the gauges have chrome bezels, black backgrounds and white numbering and lettering giving the IP a clean and classic look.
The steering column is a traditional 3-spoke, leather-wrapped wheel with stalks on the left side of the column for the turning indicator and tilt wheel. On the right side of the column the driver has a "three on the tree" style PRNDL which controls the vehicle's gear shift positions.
On the lower left side of the dash there are controls for lights, windshield wipers, air suspension and the built-in winch. On the lower right side, there are controls for front differential lock, rear differential lock, fan speed and climate control.
"Since the B1 is an all-electric truck, it's really a portable energy source," Says Bollinger. "So we put 100 volt plugs throughout the truck so you can use it to power any equipment and tools you might need out in the field. USB and 12 volt plugs are also integrated into the dash to cover all power needs."
"The interior follows the strong and straight-line design of the exterior using simplicity and straight-forwardness as the main design language," said Ross Compton, who assisted Bollinger with the design of the B1. "We also wanted to give the vehicle a feel of openness and spaciousness so you can use the vehicle in a variety of different ways."
Bollinger Motors has a design, engineering and development center in Hobart, New York.
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