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Bollinger Selects Roush as Manufacturing Partner for Its Electric Chassis

In January, Bollinger suspended the development of its electric vehicles and decided that it would only sell chassis for commercial applications. It seems the idea was indeed not only “absolutely necessary” – as Robert Bollinger put it – but also the right one. Bollinger has even chosen its manufacturing partner for that: Roush Industries.
Bollinger electric commercial chassis from Class 3 to Class 6 13 photos
Photo: Bollinger
Bollinger's electric commercial chassisThese are some of the possible body configurations for Bollinger's electric commercial chassisBollinger's electric commercial chassisThese are some of the possible body configurations for Bollinger's electric commercial chassisThese are some of the possible body configurations for Bollinger's electric commercial chassisThese are some of the possible body configurations for Bollinger's electric commercial chassisThese are some of the possible body configurations for Bollinger's electric commercial chassisThese are some of the possible body configurations for Bollinger's electric commercial chassisThese are some of the possible body configurations for Bollinger's electric commercial chassisThese are some of the possible body configurations for Bollinger's electric commercial chassisBollinger's electric commercial chassisBollinger's electric commercial chassis from Class 3 to Class 6
According to what the companies disclosed, Bollinger will produce all the components and deliver them to Roush, which will be in charge only of assembly. Roush’s facility is in Livonia, Michigan, only 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Bollinger’s headquarters.

The EV startup plans to offer its customers four chassis options, from Class 3 to Class 6. Class 3 chassis have a GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) between 10,001 pounds (4,536 kilograms) and 14,000 lb (6,350 kg). Class 4 goes from 14,001 lb to 16,000 lb (7,258 kg), while Class 5 starts at 16,001 lb until 19,500 lb (8,845 kg), and Class 6 encompasses vehicles from 19,501 lb up to 26,000 lb (11,793 kg).

According to Bollinger, Roush was not chosen because the EV startup could not make the chassis on its own right now. The company’s CEO said It is actually essential for it to hit its “quality and production targets confidently.”

The companies did not disclose when the first deliveries to customers would happen. We only know that Bollinger is developing a Class 3 walk-in van for Con Edison, which would integrate this vehicle into its fleet by 2024. That’s still quite a wait. EAVX is another client willing to integrate its commercial work truck bodies into Bollinger's chassis.

The sooner Bollinger starts making money selling its electric chassis, the earlier the B1 and B2 may see the daylight. The electric SUV and the pickup truck need Bollinger with deeper pockets to stand the production ramp-up that all EV makers need to have. Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian examples show it is not an easy path. Multiple other companies also testify that as bad examples: they bit the dust before we could even remember them.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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