California-based EV truck maker shifting operations to Michigan
Brea-based Mullen Automotive Inc. announced Tuesday, July 15 that it’s moving commercial operations to Michigan and shedding jobs as the electric vehicle truck maker struggles to improve its finances and vehicle sales.
The company also is changing its name to Bollinger Innovations and ticker symbol before Aug. 15. The stock (MULN) finished trading Tuesday at just above 11 cents a share. The company does not yet have a new ticker.
Since January, the company has eliminated 155 jobs and reduced annual operating expenses by roughly $35 million. The company’s consolidation includes the operational shift to Oak Park, Michigan, and merging Mullen and Bollinger sales, marketing and service operations under the Bollinger brand.
The company said it plans to continue focusing on building its Class 1, 3 and 4 commercial vehicles. Class 1 through 3 trucks are generally considered light-duty vehicles, while Class 4 trucks are medium-duty.
David Michery, chairman and chief executive officer of Mullen Automotive, will have the same executive position with Bollinger Motors after the consolidation takes place.
Mullen began assembling EV cargo vans in 2024 at plants in Tunica, Mississippi, and Mishawaka, Indiana. The Indiana facility was recently sold to the GEM Group through a legal settlement, said Mullen spokesman Jason Putnam on Tuesday.
He said that the company has no plans to move its headquarters and battery plant out of California, despite the concentration of operations in Michigan — including a move for its sales and marketing teams.
Manufacturing will remain in Mississippi while production on EV truck batteries recently started in a leased a 121,615-square-foot warehouse built on the former home of Kraft Heinz Foods in Fullerton, Putnam said.
In September 2023, Mullen announced the initial purchase of battery production assets from Romeo Power, a unit of Nikola Corp., for $3.5 million. In January, the Fullerton facility furthered its U.S. battery production capabilities with the additional purchase of battery line equipment from Nikola, which filed for bankruptcy protection in February.
“Both Brea (headquarters) and Fullerton are staffed and operational,” Putnam said.
The EV truck business hasn’t been smooth sailing for Mullen.
In June, Bollinger Motors said it emerged from receivership after parent company Mullen Automotive settled claims in a lawsuit filed by Bollinger Motors’ founder, Robert Bollinger. In connection with the settlement, Mullen Automotive boosted its investment in Bollinger Motors and became a 95% owner.
In the past year, Mullen landed $10 million in financing from Robert Bollinger, and regained Nasdaq compliance to trade on the stock exchange following three reverse stock splits in 2023. Mullen made its first delivery of EV trucks on the East Coast to Randy Marion Automotive Group in North Carolina in June 2023.
The company claims to have seen a steady order flow in recent months.
In September, the United Arab Emirate-based Volt Mobility placed $210 million worth of pre-orders with Mullen for EV vans and trucks. The deal with Volt Mobility provided 300 all-electric commercial cargo vans, heavy-duty pickups and commercial trucks in 2024 with a total of 3,000 deliveries in 2025.