Mullen secures $150 million financing deal, production Bollinger is a go
Commercial EV manufacturer Mullen has scored a $150 million capital infusion that will allow it to expand its domestic and international sales efforts – and put Bollinger’s beefy electric trucks into series production.
Mullen received a $100 million financing commitment from an undisclosed family office and sold an additional $50 million of senior secured convertible notes to both family offices and high net worth investors. With a fresh $150 million on hand, the company says its capital needs over the next 13 months are met – which includes the funds needed to put the Bollinger Motors B4 into regular production.
The Bollinger B4 is a cabover-style chassis cab with a 15,500 lb. GVWR powered by either one or two 79 kWh battery packs good for 85 or 185 miles of range, respectively. Both versions are motivated by a 250 kW (~325 hp) eAxle that reportedly generates more than 625 lb-ft. of torque at 0 RPM.
More than enough, in other words, to get every one of those 15,500 lbs. up to speed and down the road with confidence.
Bollinger B4 specs
The Bollinger B4 will join the Mullen 3 and 1 commercial delivery vehicles (shown, at top) in series production later this year, but it’s worth noting that both Mullen’s Class 1 and Class 3 commercial EVs are available for delivery now – something that not everyone in the industry, even established players, can really say.
Mullen has also recently expanded its commercial dealer network with the addition of Pritchard EV and National Auto Fleet Group, which gives customers added support in both the Midwest and on the West Coast. The Company also recently announced Foreign Trade Zone Status approval for its Tunica, Mississippi, commercial vehicle manufacturing center, which provides a number of benefits, including deferment of duties owed and elimination of duties on exported vehicles.
Electrek’s Take
The B4 is to Bollinger is like the Cayenne or Macan is to Porsche: a necessary, mainstream offering that must thrive in order for the B1 or 911 that we really want to exist. The good news on that front, though, is that the Class 3 work truck version of the B1 (above) is well on its way to production now that Mullen has secured the GM plant that, once upon a time, produced the Hummer H2.
We interviewed Mullen CEO David Michery on The Heavy Equipment Podcast and discussed Mullen’s funding, its place in the market, and the future of Bollinger’s B1 – look for that episode to drop in the next few days.
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Chevron is not seeing signs that the U.S. is close to a recession even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs weigh on expectations for oil demand, CEO Mike Wirth said Tuesday.
“There’s no signs that we see at this point that we are in or close to a recession,” Wirth told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “There are signs that growth may be slowing and we have to always be prepared for that.”
The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its growth outlook for the U.S. this year to 1.8%, down from 2.7% previously.
The oil market is expecting reduced demand as a consequence of Trump’s tariffs and the decision by OPEC+ increase production faster than expected, Wirth said. Chevron isn’t changing its capital spending plans in response to drop in prices, the CEO said.
U.S. crude oil prices have fallen about 11% since Trump announced his tariffs on April 2. West Texas Intermediate was last up about 72 cents at $63.80 per barrel. OPEC and the International Energy Agency have cut their demand outlooks for this year.
Wirth said U.S. onshore oil production in patches like the Permian Basin is likely to pull back if prices hit $60 per barrel. Offshore production likely won’t be affected, he said.
“That’s an area where if we were to be at a $60 price or even lower you’re likely to see activity pull back in this sector and you’ll see the production response over a few months,” Wirth said. “That’s what we should watch, not so much the deep water activity.”
Chevron is not expecting a major direct impact on its business from Trump’s tariffs as energy has largely been exempt from the levies, Wirth said.
“The effects that we feel are likely to be more the macroeconomic effects as they flow through the economy,” Wirth said. “The bigger issues would be what would it mean for growth, and global trade and how does that evolve.”
Executives at oil and gas companies were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariffs in an anonymous March survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warning that steel tariffs were raising their costs and low prices could impact their activity.
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Little is known about super-secretive EV startup Slate, but the fledgling brand is rumored to be backed by Jeff Bezos and determined to shake up the existing electric order with an affordable lineup of compact SUVs and pickups with that golden $25,000 price tag.
Now, at least, we know what it’s gonna look like. The battle of the billionaires is on!
Redditor jonjopop over at the spotted subreddit spotted what looks like an early prototype of an unbranded SUV with bizarre “CryShare” wrap. CryShare, as a concept, seems to combine the functionality of a ride sharing app like Uber or Lyft with the familiar (to parent, anyway) idea that small babies will often sleep better in a moving car than in their own cribs … but that’s not what’s important here.
Instead, focus on the vehicle itself – parked on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles without explanation or fanfare, this is our best look yet at the kind of vehicle(s) Slate is likely to reveal in the coming days.
Stumbled upon the Bezosmobile [Slate Automotive…idk?] being revealed with an absolutely bizarre marketing campaign
byu/jonjopop inspotted
Other local automotive journalists caught wind of the public unveiling, too – and our friends at The Autopian (Hi, Matt!) sent their own David Tracy out on the streets of LA to check it out. Tracy took the following video and posted it to Instagram.
The Slate breaking cover and causing buzz just ahead of what’s sure to be a painful Q1 earnings call for Tesla is a masterstroke of marketing – especially as doubts surrounding the viability of a “less expensive” Tesla Model Y or Model 3 continue to mount amid the uncertainty of Trump’s tariffs and declining sales of the brand’s more profitable models both at home and abroad.
As with so much involving Slate, however, there is nothing here written in stone – or even cast in cheese. Nothing has been announced, nothing is promised, and for all we know this might have more to do with the affordable Rivian brand launch, a new BYD, or be a viral marketing bit from some local Art Center design student in (relatively) nearby Pasadena. In fact, about the only thing I think we can say about Bezos (?) new Slate project with confidence today is this: Elon could probably use that drink.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Reddit, The Autopian.
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