The story
The Mullen Automotive brand was created by David Michery by combining the companies Mullen Motor Cars with Coda Automotive. Michery planned for rapid expansion of the company, but as of 2023 the company hasn't released a single vehicle since its inception except for imported Chinese vehicles. Mullen originally intended to launch the Dragonfly K50 luxury sports car, now called the Mullen GT and GTRS, in the U.S. by 2021. However as of March 2023, the company is still finalizing engineering. The vehicle is based heavily on the Qiantu K50.
On June 15, 2020, Mullen Technologies announced a merger agreement with payments-as-a-service platform Net Element, Inc., which was completed in November 2021. This reverse merger resulted in Mullen becoming a subsidiary of Net Element, and Net Element changing its name to Mullen Automotive, Inc.
On March 17, 2021, Mullen Technologies announced that they would open a factory in Memphis, Tennessee for the manufacture of their Mullen FIVE crossover SUV, with plans to sell these models as early as 2024. However, in November 2021, Mullen purchased a facility in nearby Robinsonville, Mississippi instead, forgoing the Tennessee site.
In February 2022, an article by Fuzzy Panda Research presented Mullen acquisition and bankrupt commercial EV manufacturer Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS) as an "EV Pretender – Passing Off Chinese Imports as "Made in the USA"; Booking Fake Revenue of Fully Returnable Products". In April 2022, an article by Hindenburg Research presented Mullen as one of "the worst [electric vehicle] hustles" in recent history.
In September 2022 Mullen purchased a controlling stake in Bollinger Motors, a manufacturer of EV pick-ups and SUVs, for $148.2 million This valued pre-revenue Bollinger Motors at $247 Million. In June 2022, Bollinger had little more than a month left of cash to cover operating expenses. Bollinger Motors was insolvent and placed into receivership in 2025.
Mullen changed its name to Bollinger Innovations in June 2025. In November of 2025, the Bollinger Motors unit closed its doors, after being unable to meet payroll. The company has been placed in receivership in January 2026.
From Wikipedia’s article on Mullen Automotive, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5