Oak Park, Michigan-based electric-vehicle startup Bollinger has been showing a handful of vehicles in the past few years, with the first of these, the B1 SUV and B2 pickup truck, expected to enter production late this year.
For budding builders, Bollinger plans to offer the battery-electric platform underpinning the vehicles as a standalone unit. Bollinger calls the platform the Chass-E, and on Friday the company announced a starting price of $55,000.
The starting price is for a rear-wheel-drive version. A dually rear-wheel-drive version is priced at $57,500 and an all-wheel-drive version is priced at $80,000. Deliveries are slated for 2022, Bollinger said.
Bollinger B2 chassis cab
The Chass-E is designed to meet the Class 3 truck classification, meaning it can underpin trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVRW) of between 10,000 and 14,000 pounds. It can handle payloads of up to 5,000 pounds and the wheelbase can also be easily adjusted to suit various body types.
If you want to get the Chass-E fitted with Bollinger's B2 cab, prices start at $70,000 for the RWD setup, at $72,500 for the dually RWD setup, and $100,000 for the AWD setup. The company has also shown a van based on the Chass-E.
“When we first built our Class 3 B1, we knew there was a commercial aspect to the platform,” Robert Bollinger, CEO and founder of Bollinger, previously said when describing the platform. “Not only cab-on-chassis, but entirely new truck bodies can fit on our [platform], and help propel the world to all-electric that much faster.”
Bollinger's headquarters in Oak Park, Michigan
The Chass-E comes with air suspension with independent front and rear setups. It can also be fitted with portal gear hubs for off-road duty (the standard ground clearance is 15 inches). In Bollinger's own vehicles like the B1 and B2, the Chass-E features a low-range mode and front and rear electronic locking differentials.
Bollinger is developing its own battery packs for the Chass-E which will range from 105 to 140 kilowatt-hours in capacity. The Chass-E features its own integrated thermal-management system to ensure the batteries are at optimal temperatures, and there's a power takeoff feature which will be handy at work sites. The driving range will vary depending on the body that goes on top.
Bollinger said Friday that it has a contract manufacturer lined up to make the platforms.
