Bollinger Motors’ B4 chassis cab EV gets IRS approval for up to $40,000 in federal tax credits
Two years after pivoting its business strategy toward the development of commercial EVs, Bollinger Motors has earned IRS approval for federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, offering fleet customers potential tax credits up to 40,000 per vehicle.
Bollinger Motors is an American EV startup celebrating ten years of operations that began with two passenger EV models – the B1 SUV and a pickup version called the B2, which reached the production-intent design phase in late 2020.
Following struggles in funding and reaching scaled production that plagues many startups, Bollinger announced it was shelving B1 and B2 development in January 2022 to focus on the commercial EV segment, quickly shifting over to Class 3 walk-in vans and beyond.
Six months later, Mullen, a fellow EV startup and commercial EV developer in its own right, announced it had taken a majority stake in Bollinger Motors, vowing to bring the B1 and B2 vehicles to market while keeping the fleet vehicle development going.
By July of 2023, Bollinger had validation builds of its B4 Chassis Cab ahead of 2024 deliveries, while Mullen began receiving IRS approval for federal EV tax credits for its own commercial vehicles like its Class 3 trucks and Class 1 vans.
Today, Bollinger has followed suit and received its own IRS certification.
Bollinger B4 qualifies for commercial EV federal tax credit
Per Bollinger Motors, customers of the modular B4 Chassis Cab can now officially obtain EV tax credits as it is approved as a qualified commercial clean vehicle under the terms outlined in 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act.
Under section 45W of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), business and tax-exempt organizations can qualify for the clean vehicle tax credit of up to $40,000 per vehicle when they buy an approved EV such as the Bollinger B4. The credit applies to the lesser of these two purchase terms:
- 15% of the purchaser’s basis in the vehicle (30% if the vehicle is not powered by gas or diesel)
- The incremental cost of the vehicle versus a comparable vehicle with a gas or diesel engine
Bollinger states that as an all-electric commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 15,000 pounds, it is expected to qualify for the full $40,000 tax credit. Company founder and CEO Robert Bollinger spoke:
Bollinger Motors is poised for growth and we’re ready to help electrify America’s fleets. These tax credits are an important incentive for our customers to replace their gas and diesel trucks and lower their total cost of ownership.
Bollinger expects B4 EV deliveries to make their way to initial customers in the second half of 2024.
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First Solar just cut the ribbon on a huge new factory in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and it dwarfs the New Orleans Superdome. The company’s $1.1 billion, fully vertically integrated facility spans 2.4 million square feet, or about 11 times the size of the stadium’s main arena.
The factory began production quietly in July, a few months ahead of schedule, and employs more than 700 people. First Solar expects that number to hit 826 by the end of the year. Once it’s fully online, the site will add 3.5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. That brings the company’s total US footprint to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its newly announced South Carolina plant is anticipated to come online.
The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.
The new factory leans heavily on AI, from computer vision that spots defects on the line to deep learning tools that help technicians make real‑time adjustments.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says the investment is already a win for the region, bringing in “hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.” A new economic impact analysis from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the factory will boost Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4% in its first full year at capacity. The average manufacturing compensation package comes in at around $90,000, more than triple the parish’s per capita income.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar framed the new facility as a major step for US clean energy manufacturing: “By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
This site joins what’s already the largest solar manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere: three factories in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. Just last week, First Solar announced a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore more Series 6 module work. By the end of 2026, the company expects to directly employ more than 5,500 people across the US.
Read more: First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory
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No, it’s not the new Bolt. GM’s design team previewed a new high-riding “sporty Chevrolet EV” that should be brought to life.
Is Chevy launching a new sporty EV?
This is the all-electric vehicle Chevy should sell in the US. General Motors’ design team released a series of sketches previewing a sporty new Chevy EV.
Although it kinda looks like the new 2027 Chevy Bolt EV as a higher-sitting compact crossover SUV, the design offers a fresh take on what it should have looked like.
The new Bolt is essentially a modernized version of the outgoing EUV model with a similar compact crossover silhouette. Nissan adopted a similar style with the new 2026 LEAF as buyers continue shifting from smaller sedans and hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs.
Will we see the sporty Chevy EV in real life? It’s not likely. For one, the “exploration sketch” is by GM China Advanced designer Charles Huang.
GM Design posted the sketches on its global social media page, but the caption read “Sporty Chevrolet EV for the China Market.”
It’s too bad. The Bolt could use a sporty sibling like an SS variant. Chevy introduced the Blazer EV SS (check out our review) for the 2026 model year, its fastest “SS” model yet. Packing up to 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Chevy Blazer SS can race from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds when using Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode.
Will the Bolt be next? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And if GM does bring the sporty Chevy EV to life, it will likely only be sold in China. Like all the fun cars these days.
What do you think of the design? Would you buy one of these in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
While deliveries of the 2027 Bolt are set to begin in early 2026, Chevy is offering some sweet deals on its current EV lineup, including up to $4,000 off in Customer Cash and 0% APR financing for 60 months.
Ready to test drive one? You can use our links below to find Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs at a dealership near you.
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Environment
Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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