By Gary S. Vasilash

Back in 2017 Bollinger Motors revealed two vehicles, the B1 a bona-fide SUV (it actually has a frame, which makes it more SUV than crossover), and the B2, a Class 3 pickup.

Both are electric vehicles.

What was absolutely remarkable about the two is that there is a design aesthetic that is all about straight-up functionality rather than either copying the design, more or less, of an existing vehicle with an internal combustion engine or going completely futuristic. As there are more announcements of electric pickups the B2 stands in a place of its own.

And in 2019, when the company announced the pricing for the fully electric, all-wheel drive vehicles, some took in a quick breath: $125,000.

Be that as it may, reservations came rolling in to the company that had moved from New York to greater Detroit in order to be in the midst of automotive development.

On January 14, 2022, Bollinger Motors announced a change in direction:

“We started Bollinger Motors in 2015 with a dream and a desire to make the best trucks possible,” said Robert Bollinger, CEO of Bollinger Motors. “We’ve put countless hours of hard work and passion into making something that makes us proud. However, today, we’re postponing the consumer trucks’ development and shifting our focus to commercial trucks and fleets.”

The company would be focusing its efforts on vehicles in the class 3-6 category, trucks that are typically bought by businesses in volumes of more than one.

Bollinger engineers had developed the underpinnings for electric trucks in terms of the battery system as well as the structure, so that, rather than the exterior sheet metal, is where the company will now be focusing its development efforts.

So why the change?

On this edition of “Autoline After Hours” Robert Bollinger explains the thinking behind addressing the commercial market first rather than pursuing the personal, or individual, market. He notes that the work they’ve done beneath the skin provides the solid workings for commercial vehicles, a place where he—and many others—think that there will be a significant deployment of electric vehicles.

It is worth noting that the B2 was from the start a robust truck and so that is just being amped up for these new applications.

Bollinger discusses this move with “Autoline’s” John McElroy, Greg Migliore of Autoblog, and me.

It becomes clear that Bollinger isn’t just the guy whose name is on the company but a man who is deeply committed to the development of first-rate vehicles.

That is something that makes a tremendous difference between builders who want to make a quick buck and those who want to make something that people will appreciate.