As expected, the launch of the Cybertruck shook the automotive industry for a lot of reasons. Amongst them was the one where Tesla's latest offspring was pitted against its rivals; primarily from Ford and Rivian. But when you have a handful of electric trucks in the segment, you ought to compare it with even the most unlikely competitors.

The Bollinger B2, for is the best example here. Both Tesla and Bollinger have tapped the same market, at roughly he same time, but with completely different approaches. The Cybertruck comparisons being made to Rivian's R1T and Ford's F-150 may have sidelined Bollinger for the time being, but it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the latter. Do you think that when the dust settles, Bollinger could be the only one still living inside its comfort zone, away from the rat race?

The Bollinger B2 Is More Payload-Inclined

Musk announced the Tesla Cybertruck’s towing and payload capacities on stage and it was underwhelming, to say the least. However, this is the case only if you opt for higher trims. The base-trim Tesla Cybertruck and the Bollinger B2 share the same towing rating of 7,500 pounds. However, the Bollinger is more inclined towards hauling abilities.

Not only does it come with a payload rating of 5,000 pounds compared to the Cybertruck’s standard 3,500 pounds, but it also comes with a unique pass-through tunnel. The mid-gate behind the rear seats can be flipped open and that creates a long tunnel-kind-of-a-space all the way to the frunk. The seats are also removable. This is particularly helpful if you need to carry long sheets of plywood or something similar on a regular basis. This way, the Bollinger has set itself apart from the Tesla truck, which has a good bed storage system, but can’t hold a candle against the old-school truck’s hauling capabilities.

It’s Just You, The Truck, And The Road Without Any Electronic Aids

The latter is an old-school truck with a modern electric powertrain. Inside the B2 all you can find relates to simple analog gauges on a flat dash and a basic steering wheel. I, for one, prefer this layout over a cabin filled with electronic shenanigans. The B2 seems to have followed the footsteps of the FJ Cruiser and Bronco. The B2 is so basic on the inside that even the windows on all the four corners use manual sliding with latches. There is even a column shifter for you purists. Infotainment system? What’s that? Airbags? Unheard of, too. Without all these things, the B2 is priced so heftily. We can't help but wonder, though, how much would the Bollinger B2 cost if it came equipped with all the interior tech that’s common everywhere else in the industry.

Bollinger Is The Monk That’s Satisfied With A Small Chunk Of Things

Tesla recently received approval to mass-produce the Model 3 in China and the company plans to produce 3,000 examples per week till the end of this year. This means the Fremont factory will primarily cater to the Cybertruck’s demands, which has already generated 200,000 reservations at the time of writing this article. Given the way traditional pickup trucks sell, Tesla will be looking to sell over half a million Cybertrucks in the first year of production. In fact, Robert Bollinger, the company’s CEO, said that it aims to build only around 1,000 examples annually and ramp up the production after that.

You Can Have Two Trims Of Cybertruck At The Price Of One Bollinger B2

Bollinger tried to surprise us as well (shock us, rather), by pricing the B2 pickup truck at $125,000 a pop! For what’s on offer, the $125,000 price tag is a complete rip-off. Robert Bollinger even mentioned that "rather than follow the common business model of borrowing money for years and years in order to cover the high cost of producing electric vehicles, we’re pricing our vehicles to cover their material and production costs. As for covering all of the R&D and startup costs that have gone into it, we hope to turn a profit in the first few years. We have been honest and transparent during our entire journey, and this price reflects that."

Does this mean that once the cost of the initial investment or capital is recovered, the Bollinger truck will get cheaper? If it were to be priced fairly, I believe a price in the ballpark of $70,000 seems reasonable. What surprised me all the more is that Bollinger says its target audience is the same set of enthusiasts who are buying other mainstream SUVs and pickup trucks and spending $50,000-$60,000 on making them off-road capable. Well, I don’t entirely agree because Bollinger's trucks are strong mechanically, but not in terms of features, accessories, and many other things. It’ll be interesting to see how long Bollinger takes to recover its costs completely.

All-Aluminum Body Versus Cold-Rolled Stainless Steel

The Tesla Cybertruck’s body is made from cold-rolled stainless-steel. It also features armored glass (that actually works!). However, Tesla’s unibody layout transfers that stress from the frame to the outer shell of the truck, which is also dent-proof and scratch-proof. As for the Bollinger B2, it is built on a ‘Skateboard’ platform which puts the Bollinger truck in Class 3 electric vehicle category.

Class 3 certification also comes from the fact that the truck bed measures over 49 inches in width and 69 inches in length. It features an all-aluminum body, which is a trend adopted by numerous carmakers these days to keep the vehicle as light as possible. That particular class bypasses certain government regulations requiring airbags and crash-testing as well. That itself shows how both companies have different target markets.

Final Thoughts

Even if the Bollinger B2 and Tesla Cybertruck are like two sides of a coin, there is one aspect that the purists and millennials would agree upon – the mile range. In the case of the Cybertruck, even the single motor RWD trim offers a range of over 250 miles. But with the B2, the energy is generated by a 120-kWh battery pack that is only good to go for a merely 200 miles on a full charge. Yes, just 200 miles. This, after spending over $120,000 for the truck. The Cybertruck in the top-trim can deliver over 500 miles according to Tesla. Bollinger is nowhere close to it and it would better fix this before launching the vehicle or else it will find difficult to even sell the earmarked 1,000 examples annually. Do you think that both these heavyweights can coexist peacefully? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.