EV maker Bollinger leverages partnerships for growth

Bollinger Motors plans to expand its share of the medium-duty commercial EV market through more partnerships, including with dealers, to build on a strong 2024. 

Forming partnerships with dealers, lenders and other providers remains key to achieving growth and viability as an EV startup, Jim Connelly, chief revenue officer at Bollinger, told Equipment Finance News. 

 “Especially when you’re a startup, you want to leverage any type of partnerships that add credibility, that add additional things that your customer might need from a customer satisfaction perspective,” he said. 

As far as financing, charging, service and distribution, such partnerships enable Bollinger to offer a range of  “solutions for your customer because if you’re stickier from a product offering perspective, those customers are going to stay with you,” Connelly added. 

Bollinger’s dealer network includes 55 locations, according to the company. Dealer network development is key for the growing EV maker, Connelly said. 

“I greatly am a big supporter of having a dealer network versus a buy-direct kind of mentality because, at the end of the day, those people are also your sales people,” he said. “They’re out there interacting with the same people that you’re talking to.” 

Bollinger delivered its first 25 B4 trucks, representing a retail sales value of approximately $4.1 million, according to a Dec. 12 release by Bollinger’s parent company Mullen Automotive. Bollinger started production on the B4 class 4 truck in Sept. 2024. 

North American expansion 

Connelly and Bollinger Chief Executive James Taylor plan to add dealers and mobile service providers in North America, focusing on quality rather than quantity as the OEM is “not looking for 3000 dealers across the U.S.,” Connelly said. 

“We have plans to go into Canada, so I’m looking into Canada right now, and what dealers I would need … to be able to service those vehicles and sell vehicles,” he said.  

“I’m not after necessarily numbers, but coverage,” he added. “I’m [also] working with a mobile [vehicle] service provider to provide mobile [vehicle] service … to kind of broaden that cover, so I have a two layered approach to service, to cover the U.S.” 

Bollinger also is fine-tuning its go-to-market strategy to improve access to the company’s EVs for large fleets and municipalities, Connelly said. These represent key markets for Class 4 and Class 5 EVs, he added. 

The commercial sector offers a lot of opportunity, especially in government spaces and large fleets, as there are companies that have green mandates and different go-to-market strategies, Connelly said.  

“There’s always companies that want to have a better green footprint in their operation,” he said. “Municipalities, the government agencies, they’re always the leaders and early adopters, as they have policies and mandates … to move the rest of the country forward.” 

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