An auction of new electric work trucks and auto manufacturing equipment is scheduled for next month after Bollinger Motors — once among Michigan’s best-known EV startups — went bust late last year.
The May 13 online webcast auction will feature 20 of Bollinger’s 2025 B4 customizable trucks, one truck that is already set up for beverage delivery, and several other vehicles, said a news release from the auction company, Maynards Industries.
The auction also includes a variety of other machinery and tools, such as EV charging and testing infrastructure, vehicle lifts, testing systems and fabricating equipment from both Bollinger’s old headquarters building in Oak Park, as well as its manufacturing plant in Tunica, Mississippi.
It’s part of a court-ordered sale to raise funds as multiple suppliers and other creditors say they are still owed money by the defunct EV company, which was owned by a California EV firm, Bollinger Innovations.
An Ohio judge ordered Bollinger Motors into receivership late last year as part of a lawsuit filed by one of the suppliers, Dana Inc.
Beyond suppliers, other parties still owed include the state of Michigan, which had provided nearly $1 million in grant funds to the company, and former employees, who did not receive their final paychecks and bonuses and said that their 401(k) plans were not properly turned over to them. David Michery, the CEO of Bollinger Innovations who had also overseen Bollinger Motors, did not respond to a text message requesting comment.
As part of the receivership process, many of the defunct automaker’s key assets as well as its intellectual property were recently bought back by the company’s founder and previous CEO, Robert Bollinger, for just $250,000.
That purchase was approved by the Ohio judge last month and included prototypes of the the company’s original, rugged off-roading vehicles, the B1 and B2. Robert Bollinger hasn’t detailed his next steps after buying back the company assets.
“This is a unique opportunity to acquire exceptionally high-quality and lightly used EV manufacturing equipment and electric trucks without the long lead times associated with new production,” Robert Levy, president of Maynards Industries, said in a statement about the upcoming auction.
The auction is at 10 a.m. May 13, with an inspection of the Oak Park assets scheduled for the two days beforehand. Maynards, which has listed details on its website, will charge a 20% premium on each item to be paid by the buyer.
The EV company’s B4 trucks originally listed for about $150,000 apiece. But at an auction of several of the company’s trucks that took place earlier this year, they garnered only about $12,000 each, on average.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Bollinger Motors EV trucks and equipment hit the auction block
Reporting by Luke Ramseth, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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