Ever heard of the name Bollinger? If you have, you’re probably familiar with its offering, the B1 SUV, and its status as the first all-electric, all-wheel drive, off-road sports utility vehicle. It’s a distinction that the company proudly wears like a badge. Now it appears that it has unlocked another new achievement, at least according to CEO Robert Bollinger. As it turns out, Bollinger is saying that it has secured a little over 10,000 reservations for the B1 SUV, a remarkable achievement for a car that was only unveiled in July 2017.

Bollinger didn’t divulge specific details on how the company was able to secure that many reservations in a span of two months, only saying that, among other things, it has received “thousands of emails from fans” about the all-electric SUV. If the total number of reservations is accurate, it paints Bollinger and the B1 very positive lights, something that the company should definitely be proud of. Then again, having that many reservations isn’t a guarantee that everyone who reserved a slot for the B1 will end up following through on their reservations. For one, the B1 reportedly costs around $60,000, which isn’t cheap any means. Then there’s the issue of timetable since according to Bollinger, deliveries of the all-electric SUV is scheduled to being sometime in the early part of 2019. There’s no guarantee that all those people who reserved one will be patient enough to wait for their models to arrive. Then again, it’s impossible not to give credit where it’s due, especially if Bollinger’s estimates are accurate. Securing 10,000 reservations for a car that’s still well over a year from getting released is impressive enough in its own right. Now let’s see if Bollinger can retain all those reservations when more details of the all-electric B1 SUV are revealed.

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Good for Bollinger, but now the hard work begins

I don’t know if there’s complete and legitimate truth to Bollinger’s claim that it’s already secured 10,000 reservations for the all-electric SUV. I will take Robert Bollinger’s word for it, though, because I want to see his company succeed. It’s as simple as that.

I’ve gone on record countless times on this site saying that I’m rooting for each and every automotive startup to be successful in this business. It doesn’t always turn out that way, but I’m still of the belief that the business is better off by having upstarts like Bollinger thrive in it. It creates a healthy competition between these small ventures and their more established counterparts. Look at Tesla for example. There once was a time when nobody thought anything of Tesla. But now? It’s arguably one of the most prominent automakers in the world, in large part because it has led the electric revolution that a company like Bollinger is hitching its own wagon onto.

By all accounts, Bollinger also seems to have a product that’s worth looking into. The all-electric B1 isn’t the prettiest off-road SUV in the world - I don’t like it’s look, to be honest - but it does have capabilities that very few of its kind can boast of. One of these capabilities is its range of 200 miles, which is owed to the 100 kWh battery it’s carrying. The company is also throwing a lower-scale option on the table - a 60kWh battery with a 120-mile range - so this early, Bollinger already knows that variety is king in the business. That’s good for the company. It’s also done well for itself by offering the B1 with an electric motor that has 372 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque available to it. It’s a good amount of power that can help the SUV accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 127 mph.

A lot of the numbers are encouraging, but if there is one thing I’m a little concerned about, it’s that Bollinger is reportedly going to be priced at around $60,000. It’s not really about the price actually because a $60,000 all-electric SUV is just about right. It’s that it’s coming from a company that has yet to prove itself in this business. Maybe over time it can charge that much when it already has a name and a reputation to tout, but not at this point. Right now, the company has to establish itself and, if it’s successful, everything else will follow suit. I wish them luck in getting to where they want to go, but rest assured, they’re going to have to work really hard to get there.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 Bollinger B1.

Read more electric cars news.