Take some of the tweed-jacket, traditionalist design character of the original Land Rover Series 1 and mix in some of the modern features and comforts of the Jeep Wrangler and the Toyota FJ Cruiser, and you?re probably not far from what New York State upstart Bollinger Motors hopes to build. Except it intends for it to be purely electric.
Most automakers?including fledgling electric-vehicle makers?have started out with a commuter car, a flagship sedan, or a racy sports car for their first EV. But for Bollinger Motors, it makes a lot of sense to apply its electric-vehicle know-how to a rugged, traditional SUV first.
Bollinger Motors started in 2014 out of a renovated car-repair shop and is led by Robert Bollinger, a newbie to the auto industry with a varied résumé that includes having worked on an organic hair- and skin-care business. The automaker isn?t looking for outside funding, but it won?t discuss how it plans to raise the staggering amounts needed for all the steps from proper vehicle development through sourcing, certification, and production. So far, Bollinger has teased only a partial side-angle shot of its SUV ahead of its anticipated reveal this July. But in the meantime, the company has revealed a few other details including some locked-in dimensions as well as a preview of the rolling chassis it has engineered that will underpin the SUV and, perhaps, a longer-wheelbase pickup to follow.
An Off-Roader at Its Core
The 295-pound chassis is built of aluminum ...