Bollinger postpones electric pickup and SUV, will focus on commercial EV fleet chassis

DETROIT — Robert Bollinger's dream of producing his rugged, boxy off-road electric pickup and SUV will have to wait.

The CEO of startup Bollinger Motors said the B1 and B2 electric vehicles are being indefinitely postponed, and the suburban Detroit company is shifting its focus from consumer vehicles to the commercial EV fleet business.

"When we revealed the B1 and B2 in 2019, we showed the chassis underneath, and that's when commercial interest started happening," Bollinger said. "Large companies were coming to us and asking if they could use it for their commercial fleets." It didn't make sense, he said, because the B1 and B2 chassis was equipped only with four-wheel drive.

But early last year, as interest in commercial EV fleet vehicles began to grow, Bollinger began working on a commercial rear-wheel-drive version of the chassis, a unit that could be sold to upfitters for such vehicles as ambulances, delivery vehicles and work trucks.

"We've been developing the commercial side for over a year and a half now. As that interest keeps growing and as regulations demand fleets go electric, there are so many companies coming to us that we were putting more and more of our people on the commercial side," Bollinger said.

Walmart, FedEx, Amazon and other large companies are beginning the move to phase out at least some of their internal combustion engine delivery vehicles. In addition to Amazon's 100,000-unit order for electric vans from Rivian, the giant online retailer signed a deal with Stellantis this month for an undisclosed number of electric Ram ProMaster delivery vans. Stellantis also is working with Amazon to develop the software operating systems for the vans.

General Motors' BrightDrop electric fleet unit will be delivering 5,000 electric vans to Walmart in a deal announced this month.

Last month, Bollinger signed a contract with EAVX, a unit of J.B. Poindexter & Co., which could see Bollinger's electric chassis, the Chass-E, underpin fleet vehicles made by Poindexter's business units. The Houston company makes Class 3 to Class 7 bodies for commercial fleet vehicles that use chassis and powertrains supplied by automakers.

Bollinger would not say when the Chass-E would be production ready. Once the engineering and testing is complete, a contract manufacturer will assemble the Chass-E.

Bollinger Motors began accepting $1,000 deposits for its two EVs in fall 2019. Robert Bollinger told Automotive News that money — about $1 million — will be returned. The project is frozen with no date to resume work, he said. The B1 and B2, he said, still need a lot of development.

Their boxy design, which calls to mind classic all-terrain vehicles such as the International Harvester Scout and original Land Rover Series I and Series II, resonated with adventure-seeking off-road fans. But it is not likely they'll see production anytime soon.

Bollinger said the vehicles are "my babies" and he has no plans to sell them to another manufacturer for production.

Bollinger Motors, he said, currently employs 54 people and is hiring engineers. The company has secured its next round of financing, Bollinger said, and plans to grow as it readies the Chass-E for production.

Bollinger described the move from consumer vehicles to commercial as "emotional."

"We put so much work into the B1. We've been good as a company, pivoting when needed. This is a major pivot. I realize that. I have had months to think about it. And accept it. It will be a shock and hard to take," he said of the customers who have been waiting patiently for their vehicles.

"But it is really the right move for the company. In order for us to continue and continue strong, the commercial front is the reality. The turn to commercial is absolutely necessary."