By Steven Symes 
It looks like the end of the line for yet another EV startup, Bollinger Motors, with founder Robert Bollinger putting the final nail in the coffin. One could say it’s an ironic death for what some a few years ago was the future of the auto industry.
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You might have initially heard of Bollinger a few years ago as the startup was showing off its off-road EVs. Robert Bollinger started the company with the idea of selling to the outdoor enthusiast community, but things took a turn later.
The company eventually decided a better route was to go with the commercial market, making all-electric trucks like delivery vans for businesses. Everyone can discuss whether that was a smart move or not, but somewhere along the way the business was mismanaged.
After Bollinger exited the company, he turned around a sued for an unpaid loan of $10 million. Last week, a judge in a Michigan court put the EV startup into receivership. The owner, Mullen Automotive, didn’t even bother to send anyone to the hearing.
Robert Bollinger claims the company is being sued by at least two of its suppliers as well. The EV startup apparently has other unpaid debts that are piling up.
With Bollinger now in receivership, its assets have been frozen in preparation for everything being liquidated. There are still some legal steps to get to that point, but it looks like the company is deader than a doornail.
What’s really the cherry on top is the state of Michigan sunk $3 million in taxpayer money into Bollinger. That’s a great way to mismanage funds, but we don’t expect anyone in the government will be held accountable for the move.
Bollinger only made around 40 trucks before all this trouble, so it wasn’t exactly churning out vehicles so it could turn a profit. And thus another “promising” EV startup bites the dust.
Source: Automotive News
Image via Bollinger Motors