Bollinger B1 electric utility truck: 6,000 signups in two weeks

It seems as though online signups are all becoming all the rage among electric-car makers.

The practice probably started with Tesla, but it really accelerated in April 2016 when the company revealed the Tesla Model 3 electric sedan in a hugely publicized event watched around the world.

The company’s first lower-priced model was unveiled in front of a ticket showing the number of reservations received in the 24 hours before the event.

That number had already passed 120,000 by the time the event ended; it’s now been updated to be 455,000, at $1,000 apiece.

Startup Bollinger Motors hasn’t yet set up the ability to take deposits for the all-electric B1 utility truck it unveiled two weeks ago today.

So far, it’s just letting interested parties sign up for further contact as an “expression of interest.”

But the numbers of those “hand-raisers” are still notable, considering that Bollinger is a tiny company with a totally unknown brand, located in a remote part of New York state.

Bollinger received more than 1,800 “pre-reservation” signups in the 24 hours after the July 27 reveal in New York City, according to its head of marketing Jeff Holland.

That “pre-reservation” page, he pointed out, didn’t even open to let interested shoppers reserve a place in line until halfway through the event itself.

Once Bollinger announces the pricing for the B1 truck, which Holland hopes will happen before the end of this year, buyers will be able to place a deposit of $1,000.

We asked him for an update on that figure of 1,800 hand-raisers waiting in line now that two weeks have passed.

“We had more than 5,000 signups during the first week,” Holland said. “Now, we’re just a few short of 6,000.”

Not all of those interested followers will step up and put down $1,000, of course, and the number who convert a $1,000 deposit into an order will be lower yet.

Still, a total of 6,000 people at least theoretically standing in line for a chance to buy an all-electric utility truck with tough, square-edged looks that echo an old Ford Bronco or Land Rover Defender is worth noticing.

Tesla has promised to unveil a pickup truck within a couple of years, though its first truck project is the all-electric semi it says it will show in September.

Bollinger seems to have introduced a vehicle that sits in a segment without competitors. Wonder how long that will last ….