The Bollinger B1 electric utility truck looks really cool. It's boxy and retro-looking, with a rugged physique primed for off-road adventures. But you probably don't think it looks very aerodynamic. The folks at Bollinger Motors took a close look at the design in a wind tunnel, and were able to tweak the front end to make it more slippery — and we think it looks pretty good.
The most obvious changes are in the vents and headlights. The old design had the headlights pushed far out to the sides, with a vertical, mesh-pattern vent on the inside of either light on the grille. The exits to those were on the sides of the B1 above the fenders. The new design has the headlights floating in a wider mesh grille, with the exits on the hood. As designer Hunter Erdman explains in the video, this new design should provide more airflow and better cooling to internals.
It messes with the cool original look of the stripes going down the hood, but it gains a more distinctive appearance at the very front of the vehicle. We're not sure which look we like better, but aerodynamic gains are always a plus. Watch the video above, and feel free to chime in below in the comments section.
Also in the video, we can hear the Bollinger folks talking about aerodynamic lift at the front and downforce at the rear of the vehicle. They discuss how tweaks to the front end could reduce that lift, and subsequently "bring up the rear downforce more toward neutral." We'll be excited to see what the redesign looks like when it makes its way onto an actual, physical vehicle.
Related Video:
The most obvious changes are in the vents and headlights. The old design had the headlights pushed far out to the sides, with a vertical, mesh-pattern vent on the inside of either light on the grille. The exits to those were on the sides of the B1 above the fenders. The new design has the headlights floating in a wider mesh grille, with the exits on the hood. As designer Hunter Erdman explains in the video, this new design should provide more airflow and better cooling to internals.
It messes with the cool original look of the stripes going down the hood, but it gains a more distinctive appearance at the very front of the vehicle. We're not sure which look we like better, but aerodynamic gains are always a plus. Watch the video above, and feel free to chime in below in the comments section.
Also in the video, we can hear the Bollinger folks talking about aerodynamic lift at the front and downforce at the rear of the vehicle. They discuss how tweaks to the front end could reduce that lift, and subsequently "bring up the rear downforce more toward neutral." We'll be excited to see what the redesign looks like when it makes its way onto an actual, physical vehicle.
Related Video:
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