Bollinger Motors' bankruptcy liquidation puts 20 electric trucks on the auction block at potentially steep discounts. The defunct startup manufactured the B1, a utilitarian EV designed for commercial work, before running out of capital last year. Buyers interested in unconventional electric powertrains now have a rare opportunity to acquire purpose-built work vehicles below retail cost.
The B1 delivers genuine engineering rather than marketing theater. Its 120-kWh battery promises 120 miles of range, and the truck carries a 5,000-pound payload capacity. Bollinger engineered a flat floor and modular design philosophy that prioritized functionality over flashy tech. The company's collapse reveals the brutal economics facing EV startups without established supply chains or capital reserves to weather market headwinds.
Auction prices remain unknown, but liquidation sales typically fetch 40 to 70 percent of original MSRP. Bollinger's B1 originally sold for roughly $125,000, meaning serious fleet operators or enthusiasts might grab these trucks for $50,000 to $87,000 apiece. That price window makes the B1 genuinely competitive against Tesla's Cybertruck for actual work applications.
This asset dump underscores a harsh reality in EV manufacturing. Execution and cash flow matter more than innovative design. Bollinger had the right idea about electric trucks. It simply ran out of runway before profitability arrived.