Bollinger Is Taking Serious Measures To Protect Its Tech

Jan. 10, 2020 5:45 PM ET by Martin Bigg / 6 Comments

The EV startup isn't messing around.

Late last year, Bollinger lifted the wraps off the all-electric B1 pickup truck and B2 SUV. Compared to luxury electric trucks and utility vehicles like the Tesla Model X, Jaguar I-Pace, and the Rivian R1T and R1S, Bollinger's models boast rugged utilitarian designs and extreme off-road capability. Production of the Bollinger B1 and B2 is slated to start in mid-2020 before customer deliveries begin in early 2021. In the meantime, Bollinger is taking serious precautions to protect its unique design and technology.

Last November, Bollinger filed a comprehensive patent that protects the entire vehicle, and "gives particular emphasis on the specific arrangement of major components and subsystems."

"Our team has created a vehicle that's engineered and packaged unlike anything ever built," said CEO Robert Bollinger in an interview with Forbes. "Filing this patent will help protect that hard work, and help showcase the outstanding engineering capabilities of our company."

Bollinger believes the innovative design, capabilities, and features of the B1 and B2 are "highly differentiated from any other volume production vehicle". For example, large components including the motors, inverters, gearboxes, and chargers are arranged centrally and symmetrically to improve the electric off-roader's center of gravity. The patent also protects the vehicle-controls strategy and software used to adjust ride height, vary the payload responses, allow for virtual front and rear differential, and control various modes of operations, including outboard power usage.

Items contained within the patent include mechanical architecture, electrical architecture electric drivetrain, modes of operation, configurability and the common vehicle platform with multiple embodiments.

Despite having different body styles, both the B1 pickup truck and B2 SUV will start at $125,000 – that's nearly twice as much as what we expect from rival models being developed by Rivian. Both models utilize a 120-kWh battery and four electric motors producing a combined output of 614 horsepower and 668 lb-ft of torque. This setup enables the B1 and B2 to hit 0-62 mph in a swift 4.5 seconds, top out at 100 mph, and deliver an estimated driving range of 200 miles.

Bollinger Is Taking Serious Measures To Protect Its Tech

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Bollinger Is Taking Serious Measures To Protect Its Tech

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