
Bollinger B2 Electric Pickup Truck - Zaskoda
https://bollingermotors.com/bollinger-b2/
======
motohagiography
Likely a distinct lack of crossover between HN readers and the Land Rover
Defender crowd that Bollinger looks like they are targeting. The main use case
is for a ranch or large farm property. Probably great for the Caribbean as
well. Would buy a Bollinger over a defender in a minute because it's a 30
year+ farm vehicle. Was really excited to read about them.

Could see people balking at the $125k price tag, but at that price point there
is already a mass market for dated german sedans and artifacts of imagined
british nostalgia supported by a hackneyed movie franchise. Something useful
and durable would be a relief.

~~~
pclark
why would you buy this over a 4runner or tacoma for a large farm property? (or
the new defender)

i am curious and kind of skeptical that electric vehicles will ever get the
longevity of combustion engine toyotas and such, given the nascent battery
technology. am i wrong? will a Model S outlast a Subaru?

~~~
manigandham
Electric motors are robust and can last decades. The battery will fade but can
be replaced.

The real issue is the software and electronics which all modern cars are
suffering from. It's becoming increasingly difficult to own them out of
warranty when they're all digital and need complex and proprietary software to
keep running.

~~~
52-6F-62
Sounds like a use case for multiple distribution venues, like an added hard
media option.

That is: the vehicle interface needn’t change but for a software upgrade that
allows complete firmware upgrades through that interface from an “injection”,
so to speak when the vehicle becomes... “outdated” or “obsolete”.

I understand the first problem with this is all kinds of ugly hacks (breaking
existing traffic regulations) a malicious attack vector... but it seems like
if you had the option to fix a problem by buying an existing patch for a used
vehicle that never had it applied before you bought it [and after the vehicle
had been discontinued] then you’d have something of a continuance model at
least.

I’m sure there are other holes in that thought, but I think it should be
workable technologically—my concern would be the business end that decides
it’s detrimental to profit margins and whatever exponential growth may have
been promised. (Ie: “they should just buy a new car”)

Your comment is the first time I’ve ever heard this very real problem. I’m
sure it’s been promoted before and I’m curious to know how you came to it, and
how it differs from other modern vehicles that also use systems-critical
software.

~~~
manigandham
It's not unique to Tesla. All modern cars have connectors which over-the-air
updates just ride on top of. The issue is manufacturers not creating updates
and limiting access with proprietary equipment for delivering those updates.
This is all done to force consumers to buy new or only go to the manufacturer
for repairs (for as long as they're offered). They won't even sell parts,
tools or schematics for you to even attempt it on your own and are starting to
cut out independent shops too.

This issue is widespread in other industries from farm equipment to consumer
electronics. Mechanical components are easily reverse engineered and have tons
of aftermarket and independent shops, but this is magnitudes harder with
digital devices and software, especially without access to any of the original
equipment and diagrams. It's like trying to rebuild a computer chip by looking
at nothing but the motherboard it's placed on. Practically impossible.

Consumers want a "right to repair" (which is the name for a lot of the legal
bills pushing for access) but it's unfortunately not getting much political
support due to lobbying. For more info, check out Rich Rebuilds [1] who
repairs salvaged Tesla's and is starting his own independent shop. There's
also Louis Rossman [2] who repairs Apple devices and has updates on the recent
legislation for personal devices.

1\.
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfV0_wbjG8KJADuZT2ct4SA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfV0_wbjG8KJADuZT2ct4SA)

2\.
[https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup](https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup)

------
userbinator
I like that it has a very "DIY" aesthetic, almost like a custom vehicle, and
there's nothing about the design that screams "I'm an EV!" unlike some of the
other EVs out there. The square design would blend in with other vehicles from
the 70s.

The simple dashboard (like a lot of custom cars, e.g.
[http://www.fastlanerodshop.com/George34ford/George34ford_das...](http://www.fastlanerodshop.com/George34ford/George34ford_dash.htm)
) with an actual analogue speedometer is nice too. I wonder if it's
mechanically driven and thus wouldn't even need the truck to be "on" to work.
Hopefully the whole vehicle is as serviceable as it looks --- the lack of any
huge touchscreen is a good sign that there's probably not a DRM-encrusted
computer controlling everything, although I doubt it has "true old-school"
analog motor electronics either.

------
mattmaroon
The Tesla Cybertruck and this are built by people who don't drive pickups and
don't know why people really drive pickups. $125k and can only tow half of
what a $30k F-150 can? For real?

Half tons by the 2021 model year will be pushing 15,000 lbs. towing capacity.
The last 5 years have seen almost a 50% increase. The market has responded
really well. People want a half ton (ride characteristics and price) that can
tow like a 3/4 ton.

~~~
windexh8er
If you tow that much with a half ton it's not ideal (or even smart), because
even though it _can_ tow that much it's not particularly good at it. I own a
vehicle that can tow 11,000lbs in a half ton format and it's nothing when
compared to towing with a similar model 3/4 ton variant. 1/2 ton trucks are
designed for the occasional tow of recreational vehicles and light duty
trailers. I would _never_ tow anything over 10k lbs even though my vehicle was
rated at it. A half ton towing 6-7k lbs is a heavy load and it's getting a bit
ridiculous that auto manufacturers are putting ideas in people's heads that
1/2 ton trucks are direct replacements for a 3/4 or full ton vehicle.
Suspension, transmission and drivetrain in a half ton are designed first and
foremost for comfort these days. They are not full time tow vehicles and they
don't tow like 3/4 ton trucks. At some point the NHTSA is going to need to
step in and put limits on what 1/2 tons are limited to towing because it's
becoming dangerous. For those who don't know the rating is mostly the GVWR of
the truck. In simple terms that means the GVWR of a 3/4 ton truck is 1.5x that
of a 1/2 ton truck. That is a huge difference and for those who have done a
lot of towing in their lives it's night and day in terms of tow performance
all around. Acceleration, braking, sway control, visibility, handling under
load, etc.

~~~
mattmaroon
Right, so I assume that an F-150 that's rated for 14,000 lbs towing a 6,000 lb
camper is safe. I do this for about 15,000 miles a year. I've had no problems,
but I wouldn't want to tow much heavier of a load.

Which makes me wonder how much is that Tesla (that at the lowest end is rated
for 7,000 lbs) actually safe to tow? I'm going to guess it's a lot less than
7,000 lbs.

And the higher-end models just have more pulling power, and I guess they weigh
a bit more due to the battery.

~~~
rhinoceraptor
I think the limiting factor for towing in EVs is just the ability to reject
heat.

------
Junk_Collector
Am I the only one who notices that you can't throw a board in the bed without
strapping it because all of the modern trucks have 6 ft beds instead of 8 ft?

~~~
frosted-flakes
The Bollinger has a pass-through opening through the cab (between the seats)
and into the front cargo area under the hood. Obviously you can't fit a whole
skid of 2x4s in there, but you can fit some really long stuff that pickup
trucks otherwise can't really handle.

Edit: the linked page says it can fit 40 2x4s through the pass-through, and 72
sheets of half-inch plywood when the rear seats are removed. Also, with the
tailgate down, it can carry 19' material fully supported.

------
VectorLock
Only twice as much as the top of the line Tesla Cybertruck.

~~~
steve19
Not to mention less range and less towing capacity.

But to be fair, it is a farm truck not for running kids to school. It has
quite a bit more payload capacity (3500 vs 5000 lbs)

------
k_sze
I’m not a mechanical engineer by any means.

But all aluminium body in that squary shape? That seems like asking to be
dented. I wonder what aluminium alloy they use (and how thick it is).

Can any real mechanical engineer comment on that?

~~~
jjoonathan
I'm no MechE or machinist, but I do bang out parts on a mill / lathe on a
regular basis, and I've noticed a huge disconnect between the shop attitude
towards Steel / Aluminum / Titanium and the public attitude.

==== In the Shop ====

Aluminum is the "newbie" metal: cheap, light, soft, weak, easy (to machine, to
protect from corrosion).

Steel is the "adult" metal: strong and resilient, but heavy and requires more
care to machine, heat treat, and protect from corrosion.

Titanium is the "pro" metal: as strong as steel _and_ as light as aluminum.
Expensive and difficult to machine, though.

DISCLAIMER: These are all gigantic simplifications. Alloy, heat treatment,
mass/volume denominators, coatings, geometry, and economic considerations can
absolutely upset this ordering.

==== In Public ====

Aluminum is the space age advanced metal.

Steel is obsolete.

Titanium is Aluminum.

~~~
ScottFree
> Titanium is Aluminum.

I thought the public view of titanium was similar to adamantium or unobtanium.
It's not an option because it's too expensive to use in a "normal" car. It's
something that gets used in 100k+ supercars and formula 1 cars.

~~~
jjoonathan
I suspect anyone into cars, bikes, or aircraft is aware of titanium's status
as a paragon material, but the general public is less informed than that. I
regularly see people miss the implication of an Al -> Ti or Ti -> Al material
substitution and I semi-regularly see Al and Ti confused outright. It seems
almost sacrilegious to someone in-the-know, but most people just don't seem to
know or care. As far as they are concerned, aluminum is titanium is aluminum
is titanium. Shrug.

------
georgeoliver
It's too bad we won't see a new electric light pickup (i.e. Ranger, Dakota)
with a 7 foot bed anytime soon. Hopefully the conversion market will catch up.

------
bryanlarsen
$125,000

~~~
hinkley
But on the plus side you can _joust with telephone poles_ with this thing.

------
xyst
The old school hummer look is back, I suppose

------
dzhiurgis
How are these things "most capable" but missing essentials like USB-C socket
(at least 50W)?

~~~
paranoidrobot
I think if I was spending this much on a truck, I'd rather they provided
110/220V AC rather than a USB-C socket. Much wider capability and
compatibility.

~~~
dzhiurgis
Why not both?:)

~~~
paranoidrobot
Because USB standards progress so rapidly and standard AC sockets don't.
There's also the durability issue. A standard AC socket is easy to
wire/replace, a USB socket isn't.

~~~
dzhiurgis
USB-A has been around well over 20 years and C will likely to stay more. Sure
the car will last way longer, but there are tons of much more gimmicky stuff
being added (most obvious one is infotainment that will be obsolete in 3
years).

------
stopnamingnuts
That's a lot of frunk.

------
tus88
I wonder how they can copy Land Rover like that and get away with it.

------
0wl3x
I think this might be a close second in ugliness to the Tesla Truck. Why can't
have an electric Toyota Tacoma? Or an F150 or a Chevy Colorado?

~~~
roberto8647
Check out the Rivian, it's a great looking electric truck in my opinion.

[https://rivian.com/](https://rivian.com/)

~~~
dmix
Great looking - everything but the cutesy front headlights.

I'd slightly prefer a blacked out Tesla truck to that. The main problem with
the front/back of the Cybertruck is the it's very flat and plain where even a
licence plate or name decal would make it look better. But I have a feeling it
will look better in person than online.

~~~
beached_whale
That will be the the Tesla F-117 Truck, with radar absorbing vantablack paint

~~~
paranoidrobot
While I did snicker at the thought of a Vantablack'ed Cybertruck, I think it'd
be a dangerous vehicle to have on the roads - your visibility would be so low.

~~~
dmix
It’d be dangerous for self driving cars because LIDAR has trouble picking up
deep black colours since it doesn’t reflect back any light.

------
jdkdnfndnfjd
And people said the Cybertruck was ugly...

------
jiofih
Interesting how dated it looks after the Tesla announcement, ugly as the
Cybertruck is. Wheels, door panels, steering wheel, everything looks a bit too
traditional. Maybe that was one of their goals, but will be a shame if it ends
up driving healthy competitors out of business.

