On November 21, 2025, an abrupt email from HR Director Helen Watson instructed Bollinger Motors employees to close operations immediately, leaving hundreds of engineers and technicians jobless without warning, severance, or transition support. This sudden collapse amid America’s 1.17 million job losses in 2025—a 54 percent increase—exposed the fragility of electric vehicle startups chasing ambitious dreams in Michigan’s automotive heartland.
Warning Signs Emerge
By early November, employees had endured at least two missed paychecks. The company first alerted staff on October 31 of payroll processing failures, followed by a November 6 update confirming no secured funding. Financial strain had built quietly, with some workers spotting clues while others clung to optimism. The closure email delivered a stark, final blow just weeks before winter deepened hardships.
Wage Claims Mount
Mid-December filings revealed 59 former employees pursuing unpaid wages through Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. These claims covered $2 million to $4 million in back pay for two periods, each case underscoring personal financial crises during the holiday season. The tally captured only documented pursuits; many more workers navigated fallout without immediate recourse, shifting burdens to state systems.
Investment and Pivot Unravel
Mullen Automotive acquired majority control of Bollinger Motors in September 2022, valuing it at $148 million and promising production scale through combined manufacturing and intellectual property. Founder Robert Bollinger loaned the firm $10 million in October 2024 to stave off collapse, but by March 2025, he sued for recovery, citing insolvency in court documents. Mullen reassumed control in June, yet cash shortages persisted. Over a decade since 2015 founding, Bollinger generated buzz with boxy B1 SUV and B2 pickup designs priced over $120,000, collecting deposits but delivering no consumer vehicles. A January 2022 pivot to commercial B4 chassis cabs for fleets failed to achieve viable volumes, stranding early backers.
Ripple Effects Widen
Suppliers faced at least $5 million in unpaid invoices, sparking mid-2025 lawsuits from smaller manufacturers who had extended credit on unmet production forecasts. Now unsecured creditors in liquidation, they confronted losses echoing through supply chains. Relocated Michigan talent—drawn by EV promise and local expertise—grappled with uprooted lives, weighing relocations amid unpaid bills and winter uncertainties. Bollinger’s fate mirrored EV sector woes, with Lordstown Motors and Arrival among 2024-2025 casualties, turning green job pledges into widespread layoffs.
Liquidation Looms Ahead
Asset sales now target patents, prototypes, B4 tooling, and legacy B1/B2 designs in a saturated market of failed EV ventures. Creditors—including Bollinger, Mullen, suppliers, and wage claimants—vie for scraps where liabilities outstrip assets. Recovery efforts prioritize damage control over full restitution. This episode amplifies 2025’s job crisis narrative, reminding innovators, investors, and workers that even backed ventures can dissolve swiftly, reshaping careers and testing the viability of America’s electric truck ambitions.
Sources:
Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity unpaid wage claims filings, November–December 2025
Helen Watson, HR Director, internal email notification, November 21, 2025
Mullen Automotive SEC filing on majority acquisition of Bollinger Motors, September 2022
Robert Bollinger lawsuit filings asserting company insolvency, March 2025
Michigan court records on supplier debt litigation, mid-2025
Bollinger Motors official announcement of B1/B2 cancellation, January 2022