author: Vineeth Joel Patel
Things for startups are continually changing as the automotive landscape evolves. Back in 2019, Bollinger Motors appeared out of nowhere to debut its boxy B1 SUV and B2 pickup truck. Originally, Bollinger planned to put these vehicles in the hands of consumers in 2021. At the beginning of this year, Bollinger announced that it was changing gears. Instead of coming out with the B1 and B2, the automaker claimed that it would be moving to produce skateboard-type platforms from commercial vehicles. Now, Bollinger Motors reports that it has joined forces with Roush Industries to source and assemble the commercial platforms.
Bollinger Finds A Partner
The two Michigan-based companies will work together to assemble the platforms and chassis cabs for Class 3 through Class 6 electric vehicles. The two will split the work with Bollinger Motors sourcing and providing the necessary materials and Roush assembling the chassis cabs and platforms.
“Roush will help us to hit our quality and production targets confidently,” said Bryan Chambers, chief operating officer of Bollinger Motors. “Roush’s knowledge base and track record in working with both startups and established OEMs was a big part of our decision.”
For enthusiasts that are familiar with Roush’s performance vehicles, the partnership may seem odd. The company, though, works on a wide range of vehicles, including Domino’s DXP delivery vehicles. One of the main reasons for the decision to partner with Roush has to be proximity. Bollinger Motors is headquartered in Oak Park, Michigan, which is only 20 miles away from Roush’s assembly plant in Livonia, Michigan.
How Bollinger Evolved
“With fully scalable manufacturing, we can grow with Bollinger Motors to meet the growing need from its fleet customers as they convert to electric vehicles,” said Brad Rzetelny, vice president of Roush Flexible Assembly.
Once Bollinger Motors figured out that it would ditch the decision to produce the B1 and B2 EVs, the startup switched to focus exclusively on the commercial side of things. Its platforms will be used on electric cars that range from 10,000 pounds up to 26,000 pounds. The startup is aiming for a maximum battery capacity of 210 hours, which would make it an alternative to compete against transit vans, box trucks, and electrified buses.
We suspect that a lot of people were disappointed when Bollinger Motors announced that the B1 and B2 would be scrapped for commercial platforms. But this new plan is a way for Bollinger to make enough money to where it can make better consumer EVs to compete against Ford, Tesla, General Motors, and Rivian.