Ev Truck Maker Bollinger Hasn't Paid Its Employees Or Suppliers In Months

Bollinger Motors

Good morning! It's Wednesday, November 19, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift, your regular roundup of nan apical automotive headlines from astir nan world, successful 1 place. This is wherever you'll find nan astir important stories that are shaping nan measurement Americans thrust and get around.

In this morning's edition, struggling electrical motortruck shaper allegedly hasn't been paying its labor aliases suppliers, Toyota wants to adopt an incredibly agelong nine-year lifecycle for its vehicles, Stellantis EVs yet get entree to Tesla's Supercharger web and Honda is recalling complete a 4th cardinal Accords for a imaginable power-loss issue.

Bollinger Motors

Electric motortruck shaper Bollinger, which has only known struggle since its inception, is now facing dozens of complaints alleging unpaid wages and a slew of lawsuits by suppliers seeking millions successful past owed payments. Hell, moreover nan authorities of Michigan is looking for money it's owed from the Oak Park-based company. Back successful 2023, it promised to put $44 cardinal and create 237 jobs successful nan Detroit metro area, but now it's successful default connected its statement pinch nan Michigan Economic Development Corp. It was awarded $3 cardinal by nan authorities to thief motorboat its Class 4 EV and, frankincense far, it has collected astir a 3rd of that rate pinch very small to show for it.

As is nan communicative pinch galore EV startups, Bollinger has benignant of blown up connected nan launchpad. Its business lawsuit has tally into awesome hurdles — chiefly a deficiency of request for high-priced vehicles pursuing an wide marketplace pullback and nan decease of national EV incentives. From Crain's Detroit Business:

As of Sept. 30, Bollinger had nary qualified caller jobs and 50 guidelines employees, MEDC spokeswoman Danielle Emerson said. The institution has laid disconnected labor since then, Crain's confirmed, though it is unclear really many.

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Bollinger has until May 4 to cure nan default by reaching occupation milestones and "will beryllium required to salary backmost each aliases a information of those funds" if it fails to do so, Emerson said.

At nan aforesaid time, nan institution is nether investigation by nan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, which has received 59 claims against nan institution astir unpaid wages aliases benefits, section spokesperson Keely Lovern said.

"Those claims are still unfastened and nether investigation," Lovern said. "Because they are unfastened investigations, we cannot remark immoderate further."

Bollinger Motors was put into receivership successful June erstwhile laminitis Robert Bollinger sued nan institution to recoup a indebtedness and alleged nan institution was broke. David Michery, CEO and president of Brea, Calif.-based Mullen Automotive, which acquired a controlling liking successful Bollinger successful 2022, paid nan laminitis backmost and promised to do nan aforesaid for suppliers.

After emerging from receivership, Michery merged Bollinger Motors pinch Mullen to create Bollinger Innovations and consolidated operations to metro Detroit. He struck a resilient statement during an question and reply successful June, vowing that Bollinger Motors was present to stay.

Earlier this year, six suppliers sued nan automaker, looking for astir $5 cardinal successful outstanding bills. Since then, they've been paid back, but now location are six different suppliers suing nan institution successful progressive cases. Woof.

In nan 9 months that ended connected June 30, Bollinger incurred a $304.4 cardinal nett loss, according to Crain's. In August, its accumulated shortage was $2.6 billion. I'll beryllium real, guys. I don't spot a ray astatine nan extremity of nan passageway for Bollinger here.

Toyota

With products for illustration nan Land Cruiser, Toyota is already known for its agelong lifecycles, but now it's bringing that long-life mantra to much of its lineup. The Japanese automaker plans to lengthen nan income cycles of galore of its models from seven years to 9 years, which is an eternity successful nan world of cars. It besides plans to attraction much connected electrification and support nan cars caller and applicable via package updates. 

At 1 point, afloat flagship exemplary overhauls came astir each 5 years aliases so, but arsenic cars person gotten better, that timeline has gradually extended to 7 years. For example, nan past Rav4 lasted astir 7 years earlier it was precocious redesigned, truthful I suppose nan caller car will instrumentality astir for astatine slightest nine. From Nikkei Asia:

Toyota is experiencing a precocious measurement of orders, resulting successful extended transportation times and bid suspensions. Its Land Cruiser SUV takes years from bid to transportation — and by nan clip nan conveyance is delivered, nan adjacent loop whitethorn already beryllium out. A longer income rhythm will summation opportunities to acquisition celebrated models and besides increases nan likelihood of trading them utilized astatine higher prices, arsenic their worth is little apt to depreciate.

With nan longer income cycle, Toyota will reappraisal wholesale prices it sets for dealerships. These prices are often gradually reduced arsenic clip passes aft a model's release. Going forward, wholesale prices will beryllium group much flexibly, depending connected nan exemplary and nan income situation.

A dealer's main root of gross is nan quality betwixt nan wholesale value and nan existent income price, which whitethorn beryllium discounted for a customer. While nan wholesale value falls arsenic clip passes aft a vehicle's release, discounts besides go much wide arsenic income go much difficult.

While lengthening nan merchandise cycle, Toyota is aiming for a gross exemplary that maintains conveyance worth done updates, including precocious package and different features, while still carrying retired awesome exemplary changes that overhaul features and exterior styling.

Toyota isn't unsocial successful this agelong lifecycle mantra. Honda averages astir six aliases 7 years betwixt revamps. Meanwhile, mediocre Nissan makes its cars worker connected for astir 10 years betwixt exemplary updates, according to Nikkei. Tesla is different awesome illustration of an automaker that takes a monolithic magnitude of clip betwixt updates. The Model S and Model X person admittedly had activity done to them, but they're still beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid cars that went connected waste successful nan U.S. successful 2012 and 2015, respectively. 

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

Stellantis, ever precocious to nan party, is yet getting astir to giving its electrical vehicles entree to Tesla's Supercharger networks successful North America, Japan and South Korea. That intends its vehicles will yet adopt North American Charging Standard ports, but successful 2026, existing EVs for illustration nan Wagoneer S and Charger Daytona will summation entree pinch an adapter. From Automotive News:

The institution said further specifications connected web accessibility and adapter accusation for existent Stellantis BEV models crossed brands successful North America, Japan and South Korea will beryllium shared later.

"This collaboration underscores Stellantis' strategy to connection state of prime by supporting vehicles that fulfill customer requirements and meet user demand," nan institution said successful a statement. "By unlocking broader entree to charging infrastructure, Stellantis gives customers much choice, much sum and much power complete how, wherever and erstwhile they powerfulness their BEVs."

Last year, Stellantis said it would statesman equipping electrical vehicles pinch nan NACS larboard connected prime 2026 models successful North America. I've sewage a emotion that the recently introduced 2026 Jeep Recon, which goes into accumulation early adjacent year, will beryllium nan first conveyance we spot pinch nan caller port.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Honda is recalling a tick complete 256,600 Accord Hybrids because of a package rumor that could lead to a pesky little, you know, abrupt nonaccomplishment of thrust power. This is little than ideal. It impacts definite 2023 to 2025 exemplary twelvemonth Accord Hybrids, according to nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and it could origin nan vehicles' soul package to reset while driving. It's really not what you want. From nan Associated Press:

To reside nan error, Honda dealers will reprogram nan package free of charge. The NHTSA's callback study noted that proprietor notification letters are scheduled to spell retired connected Jan. 5 — but a spokesperson for American Honda confirmed Tuesday that nan improved package is disposable now.

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Honda estimates that 0.3% of nan 256,603 Accord Hybrids it's recalling person nan issue, which impacts nan vehicles' integrated power module cardinal processing unit, nan NHSTA's callback study notes. In a statement, American Honda said that "improper package programming by a supplier" caused nan error.

Honda first sewage a study of nan rumor successful March of 2024, and arsenic of November 6, it had received 832 warranty claims. Luckily, location are nary reports of immoderate related injuries betwixt mid-December of 2022 and nan extremity of this October.

History.com

I for illustration to deliberation that she and her kidnappers were conscionable looking to raise costs to yet buy MotorTrend. You tin ne'er person capable car magazines. I kid, obviously, and if you want to study much astir Hearst's full ordeal, caput complete to History.com.