The priciest, flashiest utes on sale in Australia today – like the Ram 1500 and Ford Ranger Raptor – feature a factory tub.
Sometimes, however, you have a job that requires the type of flexibility that only a cab-chassis can provide.
That’s where American electric vehicle startup Bollinger Motors is stepping in with its B2CC, a cab-chassis variant of its B2 ute.
The B2 was already zigging where the more lifestyle truck Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck were zagging, wearing brutish, utilitarian styling.
The B2CC goes a step further, with Bollinger Motors claiming it’s the “world’s first and only Class 3 all-electric chassis-cab truck platform”.
Bollinger Motors claims the B2CC will be available to commercial outfitters late next year, in both full cab and cutaway-cab variants.
The all-wheel drive B2CC has a claimed 2267kg payload.
Suspension will be hydro-pneumatic and self-levelling, though notably the B2CC will have hydraulic power steering.
It’ll be available with either a two- or four-door cab and multiple wheelbase lengths
Like the B2, it uses a 120kWh battery pack and an electric motor on each axle.
Total system output is 457kW and 905Nm with an EPA-estimated electric range of 321km.
Bollinger claims a 0-60mph (0-96km/h) time for the regular B2 of just 4.5 seconds, which is pretty impressive for something that looks like a brick.
There’s also low-range gearing, locking front and rear differentials, and 15 inches of ground clearance to support Bollinger’s claim of all-terrain capability.
While the company shares its name with a champagne you may be served at an extravagant yacht party, Bollinger Motors proudly touts its trucks have “nothing frivolous, nothing unnecessary”.
Owing to its no-frills philosophy, the B2CC is expected to offer B2 features like removable doors and roof panels and a removable windscreen. It’s also expected to offer the same absence of features as the B1 and B2 (interior photo above).
The B2 features an entirely aluminium body, which keeps kerb weight down to 2267kg. That’s heavy, but you’d expect it to be even heavier just by looking at it.
Despite its imposing looks, however, the standard-length B2 measures only 5270mm long, or 176mm shorter than a dual-cab Ford Ranger
The B2CC’s multiple wheelbase lengths may see it stretched longer than a conventional dual-cab ute, however.
Bollinger announced last year it would start production of its B2 pickup and B1 SUV this year, with US deliveries starting in 2021, though it has yet to announce where in the state of Michigan it’ll build them.
If you have beer tastes, you best have a champagne budget.
Bollinger has advertised a lofty recommended retail price of US$125,000 (A$193,000) for both the B1 and B2.
It hasn’t revealed pricing yet for the B2CC.
While Bollinger hasn’t specifically confirmed an Australian launch, it has announced it will manufacture its vehicles in right-hand drive.
