The B1 can be specced with a 120 or 200 mile range
Electric power has worked its way into sedans, supercars,
motorcycles and most things in between, but we're yet to see a true
off-roader powered by a battery. Charge stations are hard to come by
in cities, let alone deserted campsites. Undeterred by this fact,
Bollinger Motors has unveiled its battery-powered truck for
adventurous environmentalists.
The idea of a rough, tough electric off-roader has been raised a
few times – Land Rover slotted some motors into a
Defender, and the ancient
G-Class got a modern makeover at one point – but the idea hasn't
made the leap from concept to reality yet. That doesn't mean making
an off-road EV is a bad idea, though.
Battery technology is rapidly improving, making range
anxiety less of a concern, while the nature of electric motors
allows precise control of the torque being sent to each individual
wheel. Speaking of torque, having 100 percent of all your twisting
force on tap at standstill can only be a good thing when it comes to
scaling steep inclines and pulling stumps. All these factors could
add up to a quality four-wheel drive.
The B1 has good four-wheel driving foundations, riding
on a ladder-frame chassis with a high-strength steel rollover
structure. The battery is integrated into the lower sides of the
chassis, with other electrical vitals stored in the middle of the
ladder frame. According to Bollinger, that helps lower the centre of
gravity and improves handling, although we'd be concerned about
smacking our brand new EV battery on a sharp-edged rock.
There will be two options for the battery: 60 kWh or 100
kWh for a range of 120 and 200 mi (193 and 322 km) respectively. The
60 kWh battery takes seven hours to charge from a normal wall socket
and 45 minutes using a DC fast charger, while the larger unit needs
to be plugged in for 12 hours on a regular plug or 75 minutes with a
fast charger. The moral of the story here is, well, use a fast
charging wall box unless you've got a lot of spare time.
"At either a 120 or 200 mile estimated range, the
Bollinger B1 will have more range than most electric vehicles on the
road today," says John Hutchison, Bollinger Motors engineer. "The
average US 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."
Working to minimize the risk of smacking the battery on
a jagged rock is a portal-geared axle, which lifts the suspension
and helps keep the car's crucial components free from harm. There's
15.5 in (39 cm) of ground clearance and 10 in (25 cm) of wheel
travel in the B1, and its approach (56 degrees) and departure (53
degrees) angles are better than those of the portal axle-equipped
Mercedes G-Class. The battery is water sealed for submersion in 3.3
ft (1 m) for 30 minutes, too.
The suspension is a self-leveling, fully-independent
setup with hydro-pneumatic height control. The active anti-roll bars
are engaged to deliver a stable ride when you're cruising on the
highway, or disengaged when you need maximum wheel articulation on
tricky trails. Bollinger didn't specify exactly how the system
works, but we'd suggest the car will probably have an off-road mode.
Braking comes courtesy of 11.75-in (29.8-cm) vented discs backed by
a regenerative braking system pulling energy into the battery.
Size wise, the B1 doesn't directly compare with anything
on the road today. With a 8.75 ft (2.67 m) wheelbase and 5.7 ft
(1.72 m) wheel track at both ends, it tiptoes the line between a
Jeep Wrangler Sport and trucks like the
Toyota Tacoma – not that you'd confuse it for either at a set of
traffic lights. The B1 has a look all of its own, but more on that
later.
Bollinger says the truck tips the scales at 3,900 lb
(1,769 kg) with a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution. Towing
capacity and load capacity are both 6,100 lb (2,767 kg) for a peak
vehicle gross weight of 10,001 lb (4,536 kg). The company hasn't
specified how the range figure changes when the truck is fully
loaded, but don't bank on getting anywhere near 120 or 200 miles
with a big, heavy load.
Depending on how it's set up, the cabin of the B1 has
space for four passengers or lots of your gear. The rear load bay
can be covered with a Wrangler-style roof section and fitted with
two seats, or it can be left uncovered and empty when you need to
haul some gear. The rear load bay, pass through and front-trunk (no,
we're not calling it a frunk) combine to create 95
cu.ft (2,690 liters) of load
space.
The pass through is one of the most interesting design
elements of the car, and a clear benefit of electric power. Because
there's no engine or transmission, owners are able to pass long
items from the boot, through the middle of the car and out a flap
when the engine would usually be. The space is 12 ft (3.67 m) long
with the boot and bonnet flap closed, or 15ft 4in (4.7 m) long with
them open.
An empty load bay can also be used to carry 24 sheets of
drywall without trouble, according to the team at Bollinger. That
seems like an arbitrary measure, but it highlights how the B1 could
be used as an everyday workhorse, just like an internal combustion
van or pickup.
When the load bay is empty and work is finished, the B1
has some pretty impressive claims as a sports car. It has 360 hp
(268 kW) of power and 640 Nm of torque on tap, for a 4.5 second
sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h). Not only is that faster than a Ford
Raptor, it's faster than most hot hatches or warm sports cars.
There's a new champion of the tradesman traffic light grand prix,
and it's electric.
So far, so good then. The specification sheet reads
well, and Bollinger has nailed the brief when it comes to
practicality. But we can see one thing that might hold people back
from getting on board with the B1, and that's the styling. The team
has clearly tried to make it look rugged and tough, but the result
is more akin to a home-made Land Rover Defender that was dropped on
its roof. Will people want to buy a such a blocky truck? Time will
tell, but we suspect it will sit firmly in the "either love it or
hate it" category.
The focus on simplicity continues inside, where the
designers have taken inspiration from classic Land Rovers and Jeeps
with the pared-back finish. There's no complex dashboard, just a set
of analog dials on the metal firewall, and all the door trims are
flat sheets of riveted metal. Depending on your perspective this
simplicity could be seen as charming, or it could be seen as an odd
decision given the high-tech nature of the powertrain.
Entertainment is provided by a basic marine radio system
with Bluetooth, a radio, AUX inputs for your iPod and an SD card
slot. There's no navigation or complex infotainment system – even
the battery charge gauge is an old-fashioned analog dial. There are,
however, 110V power outlets in the dashboard for your camping gear
or phone charging.
"Since the B1 is an all-electric truck, it's really a
portable energy source," says Robert Bollinger, company founder and
CEO. "So we put 100V plugs throughout the truck so you can use it to
power any equipment and tools you might need out in the field. USB
and 12V plugs are also integrated into the dash to cover all power
needs."
At the moment, there's no word on when the B1 will be
put into production or how much it will cost. The company has a
research and development center in Hobart, New York, but is still
talking with third-party manufacturers about actually making the car
a production reality. Once a manufacturer has been found, the
company says it can have cars on the road within 19 months, sold
with a direct-to-consumer model.
There are no guarantees it will make it that far – we've
seen plenty of automotive startup ideas struggle to make the leap
from drawing board to production reality recently – but we're hoping
the B1 becomes a regular sight in the backblocks of the real world.
Source:
Bollinger Motors