The Buckle, the Blazer, and the Bird: This Week in TechMobility

A $200 belt buckle for your Ford F-150 key fob, police cruisers going electric, and oil prices refusing to sit still—this isn’t noise, it’s a map of how mobility really changes. We open with Ford’s limited-run “Truckle,” a handcrafted buckle that holds your key fob in plain sight. It’s clever and clearly a brand flex, but we question the practical trade-offs: is hands-free access worth the security risk of your keys sitting on your waist, and who is this actually for beyond superfans?

From there, we dive into real duty cycles with the Chevy Blazer EV police package. The Sterling Heights, Michigan, PD put it through its paces and called out the wins: instant acceleration for pursuit, less maintenance thanks to fewer moving parts, and seats designed for officers’ gear that stay comfortable during long shifts. With shifts averaging around 100 miles and the Blazer’s rated range near 220, the math checks out for predictable patrol routes and depot charging. Sticker shock is real, but total cost of ownership, uptime, and officer comfort are the metrics that matter for fleets.

We also explain why oil prices are rebounding without resorting to conspiracy theories. U.S. producers report break-even near $65 per barrel, while WTI has floated below that, slowing new drilling and freezing rig counts. OPEC and Saudi strategy, seasonal gasoline blend changes, and government reserve signals all sway the pump price you see. It’s a tug-of-war between costs, capacity, and investor pressure that explains the sudden 40-cent swings you’re feeling.

For a quick detour, we tackle an age-old grievance: why birds seem to target certain cars. Survey data points to color—brown, red, and black get hit more often—and urban roosting habits that put street-parked cars in the line of fire. We share simple, effective ways to park smarter and protect your paint without drama or gimmicks.

Finally, we check in on Bollinger’s evolution from no-frills EV concepts to medium-duty chassis cabs. After lawsuits, a cash infusion, and a restructuring into Bollinger Innovations, the company is consolidating manufacturing and cutting costs while competing in a crowded field of commercial EVs. The lesson is stark: auto manufacturing rewards those who can scale repeatable quality at a price buyers are willing to pay; everyone else runs out of runway.

If you appreciate grounded takes on what’s hype and what’s durable, follow the show, share this episode of The TechMobility Podcast with a friend, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us.  THANK YOU!

Chapters

• 1:03 Ford’s $200 “Truckle” Belt Buckle
• 4:17 Chevy Blazer EV Wins Over Police
• 13:55 Oil Price Rebound Demystified
• 22:14 Why Birds Target Certain Cars
• 33:13 Bollinger’s Pivot And Restructure

Transcript

SPEAKER_03: 0:07

Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast. Brought to you by Playbook Investors Network, your strategic partner for unstoppable growth. Visit pincommunity.org to get started. I'm Ken Chester.

SPEAKER_02: 0:21

To add your voice to the conversation, be it to ask a question, share an opinion, or to even suggest a topic for future discussion, call or text TechMobility Ontline, that number, 872-222-9793, or you can email the show directly. Talk at Techmobility.show. For those of you who enjoy Substack, you can find me there too at Ken C Iowa. And that's K-E-N, the letter C I O W A. I'm a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Check it out. From the Tech Mobility News Desk. I couldn't resist this one. I couldn't. It's something new from the Ford Motor Company. And it's not a new car. It's not a new truck. Matter of fact, it don't even have wheels. Are you ready for this? It's called the Ford Truckle. What is a truckle, you asked? I'm so glad you asked me that question. Apparently, y'all that uh own F-150s out there keep losing your keys. And this piece says that the truckle is actually a belt buckle that keeps an F-150 keyphobe right in front of the owner's waist. It's a belt buckle that you can clip your keyphobe into. And the truckle is made to fit key phobes from 2018 models and newer for the last seven or eight years. Now, if you think this is cheap, just hold on a minute. This handcrafted belt buckle with a built-in keyphobe storage will run you$200. Are you really losing your key phobe that often? That's the question I got for you. And if you are, have you had that looked at? Because something else is going on. I mean, would I pay$200 to put a key phobe in my belt buckle? And it works from the belt buckle. You don't have to remove it. My question, though, is one of safety and security. What's to stop somebody from coming right up to you and snatching your keys? That's my question. Because I mean, it's right there. It's literally right there. Ford partnered with a company called A Cut Above Buckles, and they're a Utah business that makes belt buckles for rodeo cowboys to create the limited run item. I don't know how many they made when it went on sale on October 10th, but it sold out pretty quick. And I'm going to make some more. And there's no comment on how many they'll be available. Made from German silver and jewelist bronze, it features an engraving of an F-150 is seen from the front end with a blue oval license plate in the year 1975 to represent when the nameplate first went on sale. Yes, for you purists, yes, there were four trucks prior to 1975, but they weren't called F-Series or the F-150 prior to that. You had F-Series, F-100s, stuff like that, but the F-150 debuted in 1975. An opening in the back allows for the insertion of a key phobe. And like I said earlier, because the phobe allows hand-free access, the drivers don't have to remove it from the buckle to unlock or start their truck. I just I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.$200 for a fancy buckle. And it sounds nice. I'm sure it's really fancy, but unless you wear big belt buckles, really, you can't really wear that with a suit. Unless they plan to make a fancier one, maybe a little smaller. Don't know about that. But I thought I'd share that up front. Second story though, because we believe in equal time around here, let's talk about Chevies and let's talk about an electric Chevy that police departments are using. You would think at first blush, of all the applications for electric vehicles, that the very severe heavy-duty demands of a police department, particularly an urban police department, would be beyond what these can do. Well, this is a story from GM Authority, and it talked about the Chevy Blazer EV, the police package, praised by Sterling Heights Police Department. Sterling Heights is a suburb of Detroit on the east side of the metro. Very gritty, very industrial. The piece talks about how law enforcement agencies across the United States have a number of different options when it comes to Chevy's police vehicle lineup. Obviously, the gasoline-powered Chevy Tahoe, which you've seen, Chevy Silverado, which you've seen. If you live out here in the Midwest, you've seen both copies. Typically, if they're not running Ford Explorers, they're running Chevy Taos. The state police here in Iowa run Tahoes in some counties. We've also seen, if you're really rural, police package pickup trucks. And it makes a lot of sense because of the rural nature of a lot of the ground that they cover. A pickup truck works better all the way around for whatever needs or situations they encounter, and Chevy obliges them. It's a long way from the Chevy Caprices and Ford LTD Ground Victoria's that police departments used to use. Today they're more likely to use a pickup or an SUV. And fun fact, something that I found out that still blows my mind the Ford Explorer Police Package SUV is designed by the company to take a rear-end crash at 75 miles an hour and be survivable. Meaning that if you if a cop is on the highway, somebody rear-ends the car, it can take upwards of 75 miles an hour. My question to Ford, and I'm getting off track here a little bit, but my question to Ford, if you can design that for the police package, wouldn't that make more sense to design it for the rest of us so we could have that protection too? Just saying. Just putting it out there. But getting back to Chevy. Some of the advantages that they loved. They had their skeptics, they were skeptical. But it proved itself on the test track. Yeah, experience in terms of immediate acceleration, any EV will deliver that for you. But where this comes in is both low maintenance, you don't have fluids to change, sparks will exchange, all that stuff doesn't exist in this vehicle. So there's less wear and tear. They last longer. The cost of operation goes down, although the cost of purchase is higher. Officers also emphasized improved comfort with Blazers EV seats designed to accommodate police gear and remain comfortable even during extended periods. If you have any idea what the average law enforcement individual has to pack, that's a big deal because they got all kinds of stuff on their person, and not all these seats can handle it, and the seats that do will get pretty beat up. Back in the day, many moons ago, uh I sold new vehicles. And I'm talking about at least 50 years ago. And back then, uh, this particular police department of town that I was selling in was running uh full-size Dodges, full-size Plymouths, and oh my goodness, when they turned them in. Even back then, and it was a small town of about 40,000, these vehicles would come in with 170,000, 180,000. They were beat to death. Beat to death. Body-on-frame cars, but they were beat to death. These vehicles, starting as heavy duty to begin with, and being beefed up with extra police equipment, which is stiffer springs, shocks, more robust cooling, things like that nature, designed for the many different cycles that a law enforcement vehicle could go through, which is either long periods of idling, which believe it or not is bad for a car, to the intermittent need for a high-speed chase, or just normal patrolling. All of these things, they love them. And to those of you that say, yeah, but the range though, yeah, the Chevy Blazer police package has a range of 220 miles, but in the case of Sterling Heights, their average shift only covers 100 miles. So even in the coldest weather, they're going to be straight. And when you add in the fact that now the city maintenance department has less to do because of so many things this car does not have that they need to fool with. Then it ends up being a win-win over time. But I just wanted to share that with you that on top of all of that, you can tow with it. You can do light towing with these EVs. These Blazer Police Package EVs can do light towing too. So it's a win all the way around, and you might just see more of them. Particularly they're coming up on you fast because they can outrun you. And no telling how they may have manipulated this to even be faster than a typical EV. There are reasons within the oil industry for the current rebound in oil prices. We investigate. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_00: 10:10

In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan, it deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunity.org today.

SPEAKER_01: 10:42

Are you tired of jumping up for apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and stay connected?com. All in one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, post virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends. All in one place and for one place. This is the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your product. AON Meetings.com where Innovation Meets Connection. Get started today and revolutionized the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_02: 11:15

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting TechMobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at TechMobility.show.

SPEAKER_00: 11:40

Every great business starts with a spark. But taking it to the next level takes strategy, connections, and capital. That's where Playbook Investors Network comes in. We're your strategic partner for accelerating growth, navigating challenges, and capturing market opportunities before your competition does. Your business is more than an idea. Let's make it an impact. Playbook Investors Network. Your future starts here. Learn more at pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_04: 12:15

Listen to its curves. Destroy US. It listens to your every word. It allows you to let go.

SPEAKER_02: 12:51

And even though during this period Ford Motor Company owned it, they owned it from 1989 to about 2009, Ford invested$2.5 billion in trying to get Jaguar straightened out. And it was a challenge. And the S-type kind of was born in the midst of that. Little known fact, during the Ford ownership, a lot of those six-cylinder blocks started life as Ford Motor Company engines that were modified and uh re-engineered for Jaguar. Ford did a lot to try to turn it around, and in the end, eh, they didn't have a whole lot to show for it. I remember driving an S-type at that time when it came out. Beautiful looking car. Beautiful looking car, Ford or sedan, mid-size. But again, the question was always with Jaguar as it's been through its history, quality. The quality over time. The designs were pretty, but quality. And it continues to dog Jaguar to some extent even now. When it comes to crude oil prices, it's really an issue of supply and demand. And while that might be an oversimplification of the dynamic, it's really not that far off. Oil producers around the world, especially those aligned with OPEC, want the good times to continue, obviously. So they attempt this balancing act with supply and price, all while trying to squeeze out the weaker American producers who continue to make inroads on the global stage, primarily thanks to shale oil and fracking. So what's going on right now? That, my dear listener, is topic A. Let me put your mind to rest. When it comes to crude oil, when it comes to pricing, people want to think there's this big conspiracy going on. And not exactly. Let me try to explain. Right now, the United States of America, we've said this on the show more than once, produces more crude oil and natural gas than anybody in the world. Do you hear me? More than OPEC. We've managed to do that because of the discovery of shale oil and the technology to extrude or basically extract oil and gas from those foundation from those formations. And the fact that we have been pretty good at using technology to extend the life of older fields that the majors had given up. There's a lot of things going on right now. Right now, hard truth. If you are an oil producer in the United States of America and you're looking at drilling new wells, and you're looking at the price of what is called WTI, which is West Texas Intermediate. Theoretically delivered to a intersection of crude oil pipelines at Cushing, Oklahoma. So basically, if you buy it theoretically, buy an oil futures contract and you actually physically, honestly, really want to take delivery, you would be taking it at Cushing, Oklahoma at that price in the future. Obviously, with investment going on, is a lot of investment that goes on to bring an oil well in. Years, drilling, piping, infrastructure, research, development. It boils down to this. Right now, in the United States, exploration and production firms report requiring an average break-even price of$65 a barrel to be profitable to drill a new well. Right now, this moment, the price of West Texas Intermediate is hovering in the low to mid-50s. What that means is it's not profitable for exploration companies to drill new wells and put in new rigs. And as a matter of fact, reporting from the oil patch shows that the oil rig count has remained the same after going down for the last couple weeks. They're not drilling new wells. We've also reported on this program in the past the change of mind of investors that usually invest in the oil patch. They're sick of the boom and bust, they want their money. So back the last time the market was up, rather than having money to drill now, these companies have had to return that surplus capital back to the investors. That money is no longer available. So while they would be running to drill, that's not happening so much. They're looking at the price because it's going to make sense. Now let me bring in OPEC. Remember, I said in the United States it costs$65 a barrel to be profitable. If the oil companies are not making that, it makes no sense to pull it out of the ground if you're a smaller company. OPEC's cost, average cost, is$30 a barrel less than that. What does that mean? It means that with their resources, OPEC has always been kind of the safety valve, and within OPEC has been Saudi Arabia. When they want to bring oil prices down, they convince Saudi Arabia to basically pump more crude. While we don't have the need for them to do that anymore, what's happening now is Saudi Arabia is saying, you know what? We want to drive the Americans out of business. And the way we do that is we open the spigots and flood the market. If we flood the market, then we can drive prices down, drive them out of business, they're out of business, then we raise prices again. The flip side of that, if you're still with me, is by putting that much crude in the market, they're shooting themselves in the foot for the future. Because they're depleting their reserves at a faster rate. Because regardless of what you believe, crude oil is not an endless resource. It is finite. And as they deplete the low-cost wells and the low-cost fields to get more oil in the future costs considerably more and harder to get. So you got all that going on. I've noticed here in our market a swing of 40 cents a gallon in the last two weeks. It was 40 cents less than it is right now. It's heading towards$3 a gallon again. If your head ain't spinning, let me just take you a little further. Did you realize that there are differences in cost between what we call the summer blends and the winter blends? The winter blends of gasoline actually cost less to make than the summer blends do. Which is why you always see prices typically go down. But we're not seeing that now. One other thing. Now, what they're buying is not large purchases that are going to move the market, but is a signal to the market of the government's interest to prop up the domestic oil industry by getting a price that is profitable or at least break-even for them. Because whether you like it or not, folks, if the oil industry is not profitable, then they start they pull product from the market, driving prices up. Nobody wants that. But we're all dealing with this, and it's geopolitical. Oil is a football. It seems that in a number of communities, clean cars and birds can coexist. There's an actual reason why that is, and that's next. This is the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_00: 21:11

You've got the drive, you've got the vision. Now you need the right partner to make it happen. At Playbook Investors Network, we power ambitious leaders with the tools, insight, and investment connections to move faster, grow stronger, and lead markets. We're more than advisors, we're your co-pilots in success. Because in business, standing still is not an option. Playbook Investors Network. Fueling ambition, delivering results. Visit pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_02: 21:43

Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. You know, since this is a technology and mobility show, we like to say that we cover a little bit of everything. So it was only a matter of time till we got to this subject. And I apologize in a fast, it's it's a little gross, it's kind of messy. But you know what? We've all been there. If you own a car, at some point in your life, at some point somewhere, you've been there. You've cleaned your car, it's nice and clean, sitting in your driveway, sitting at work, and you come out to find your nice clean car has been dive bombed by a bird, or if it's really bad, birds plural. A nasty, gooey, disgusting mess. And you might have even felt if this has happened more than once, that your car is a magnet for bird droppings. Let me tell you a secret, you might not be wrong. And there's science for that. We're gonna talk about it. This is topic B. Of all the places that I have stumbled across information, this is from Gizmodo, an online tech magazine newsletter. And they're quoting, actually, an outfit out of Virginia called Alan's Factory Outlet that did a survey. They build car enclosures, garages, stuff like that. And they did a pro they did a survey. They actually published something called a bird droppings report, where they surveyed a thousand US drivers about their experiences dealing with bird mess on their cars. The report combined survey responses or or anthology research, and its conclusions reveal a mix of expected yet surprising insights into the relationship between bird mess and your vehicle. First of all, color matters. Color matters. Color matters. If you own a brown, red, or black car, you're more than likely to be pooped on. If you own a white or silver car, typically not so much. I'm letting that settle for a minute. Brown is number one, red is number two, black is number three. At the bottom of this, six and seven is white and silver gray. But yeah, yeah, crazy. And I'm not sure about the next of this. I'm gonna I'm gonna share this with you, but I I find this particular statistic uh dubious. Dubious The survey actually explored what cars are birds pooping on the most, and actually by brand. And I know some of y'all are gonna chuckle, but hey, I just read the news, people. Number one says the ram. Number two, Jeep, number three, Chevrolet, number four, Nissan, number five, Dodge, six, Kia, seven, Tesla, eight, outie, nine, Ford, and ten, subaru. That is what the survey says. Don't kill the messenger. Do I believe that? Yeah, that's eh. I think their their research is a little flimsy that far. I could understand colors. I get that. That makes sense. But here's some other things. 58% of respondents said that a brew pooped on their car more than once in the same day. Almost half of the oh, I'm sorry, more than half of the respondents said they got dye-bombed more than once the same day. 11% reported that it caused paint damage. No, no, no. Let me help you with paint damage. And I'm talking to y'all in Florida. If you lived in the Tampa, St. Petersburg area, I got two, I got three words for you, you will understand. Love bug season. These caustic little uh insects procreate in the air and they blanket stuff. And if you don't wash them off, they do cause paint damage. So, yeah, nature's not always friendly to our cars. This survey also breaks down how often do you have to deal with this? I feel for 7% of these folk, according to their survey, out of these thousand folks, I would mean 70 folk dealt with it every single day. 35% every week, 29% monthly. And I'm gonna combine the last 30% is either rarely or never. So one third of the folks they talk to never had this problem. Now they do go in and give you kind of a couple of ideas that when you think about it kind of makes sense. The survey proposes several reasons as to why birds may be attracted to certain cars. Birds in urban locations merely like to roost under trees, power lines, or street signs, as they provide safety and visibility for birds, according to the report. And of course, that means that any cars parked under these prime locations are, quote, in the line of fire, unquote, it added. But birds also see color differently from humans due to the extra cone cell in their eyes that allows them to detect ultraviolet light. So it may be that brown, red, and black appear more attractive to birds. A tendency that has been explored by ornithologists before. So, in other words, yeah, some of this might, you're like, yeah, whatever. Some of this is true. You might consider. Definitely, if you're in an urban area being next to buildings, yeah, pigeons have no love for anybody, I'm here to tell you. But out here in the Midwest, it's Canadian geese. We don't love Canadian geese. They are messy, nasty birds. Wherever they be, they nasty. And you ain't lived until you've been dive-bombed by several and worked your car over. They said that 11% of the respondents, that would be 110, had paint damage, actually had a cost involved. Other folks said they spent at least$500 a year trying to deal with this. Bird poop. Who knew? Bird poop. More than half of the survey participants expressed concern that their current parking setup didn't provide sufficient protection from bird poop. 38% did not answer, they did not mind walking an extra block or two to avoid quote-unquote poop zones. That's 380 respondents said that. 38% of the thousand they interviewed walking a block or two. I have concerns because even in certain parking garages, you're not immune because the birds nest up in those things. So you would think, okay, yeah, okay. I work downtown, I work, I will put my car in a parking garage, I will. Be fine. Not necessarily. Not necessarily. I would take heed though to the colors. Brown, red, and black primarily is what they're talking about. Brown, red, and black are the top three. I own a blue car, storm blue. That would put me at number five, but it doesn't say what shade of blue. And I have been, but not lately, uh the uh recipient of bird attacks. It's nasty, I don't like it. It's been a while though. So I don't know if the birds have moved on or what, or they just got tired of blue. I can only hope. Brown, red, and black are the colors. And don't park under stuff where they roost. Common sense. And, you know, then you won't have to, you know, frequent the car wash as much, at least for that reason. Bollinger Motors, now Bollinger Innovations, was the first EV manufacturer we talked about on this program. Time for an update. We are the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_01: 31:09

Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look no further than AON Meetings.com, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, host virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends, all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. Aon Meetings.com, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_02: 31:42

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. That's Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_00: 32:12

In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan. It deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunity.org today.

SPEAKER_02: 32:44

Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. Bollinger Motors is an EV truck manufacturer that knows something about change and evolution. From its humble beginnings in upstate New York about 10 years ago, to the cash infusion from Mullen Automotive, to its pivot to medium-duty class 4-6 EV truck and chassis cabs, it's a story of evolution and survival. This is topic C. When we started this program eight years ago, the very first EV manufacturer that we ever talked about was Bollinger Motors. And it started, the fella who started it, had owned actually a um a um company that he sold, a makeup company. That's what I was trying to remember. That he sold. And up on his farm in upstate New York, he started tinkering around. And he decided, and bear in mind this is 2014, 2015, that what he wanted was a no-nonsense, be able to maintain it anywhere, a bare bones EV truck that could do it all. So he developed a concept, the B1. He decided that while he's on this subject, an SUV based from that same humble beginnings would work, so he looked at developing the B2. And this is the direction he was gonna go for a long time. Actually ended up moving to Metro Detroit, was scouting for a third-party contract manufacturer to bring his products to market, and he was heading in that direction. Then came COVID, then came a pivot. He had an epiphany and he felt that moving to the commercial side would make more sense. And about that time he got a cash infusion of about$150 million from an outfit called Mullen Automotive that allowed him to make this, make this switch. So what happened? Well, they kept evolving. They developed the B4, which is that class four to six mid what they call a medium duty EV chassis cab. Basically, what it is, it's a chassis with a truck cab on it and an EV running gear. So basically, whatever you want to put on this thing, it's called upfitting. And it's a major industry in and of itself. Uh automakers have been making what they call cutaways for years. And uh typically your vans and things like that, where they'll just build the chassis and a cab and ship it to an upfitter, and they'll put a whole new body on it and sell it, depending on what the specialty application is. Bollinger thought that that would be an awesome idea. So but like anything, and we've well documented it here. Being an automotive manufacturer is a cash-intensive business. It is a long lead cycle, it is a long supply chain with a lot of running, with a lot of moving parts, a lot of engineering, a lot of proofing, and a lot of testing. It has to be durable, resilient, reliant. If you particularly if you're gonna sell to a company, if you're gonna sell to a consumer, and then it's the matter of scaling up. You don't really start to even make your money until you've got a product that's gonna work. Will your design scale? Can we build this design that you brought that your engineering team has perfected? Can we build this, not three or four, can we build this a thousand a day, five thousand a week, ten thousand a month consistently, each and every job, each and every time, and get the level of quality we need to compete in the marketplace. And oh, on top of all of that, working with all your suppliers, can we bring this in at a price point that allows us to be competitive? And oh yeah, while we're doing that, we have to make a profit. Yeah, it's it's a tall order. So, what's happened to Bollinger? Well, the founder doesn't is not is not involved with the company anymore. They had a falling out, got sued, sued back, and they had a falling out, they got it straight, and went on without them. And that happened this year. Mullin Automotive and Bollinger Motors went through a very quiet restructuring. Industry didn't hear a lot about it, but it came out now as they've combined Mullin Automotive and Bollinger Motors, it's now known, the combined company now and is known as Bollinger Innovations. They're still building, but what ended up happening, Bollinger opened a plant down in Mississippi. They still had their third-party arrangement in Michigan. They're in the midst of basically recalibrating again with the end of the EV credits and the hesitation in the marketplace. They are recalibrating. And whether you realize it or not, you may not know this, there is a lot of competition in the market they're in. You don't hear about it because it's commercial. But EVs in the mid in the medium duty range commercial class, there's a lot of companies that build what Bollinger is trying to build. And as a result, Mullins, Automotive, and Bollinger have unsold inventory right now, they're trying to sell. Meanwhile, they are cutting expenses, they've ended their third-party contract manufacturing, they're bringing it all in-house. There's going to be major expenses for them to make that switch, but in the long run, particularly if they're looking to scale, it will be better off. Now, if you're still paying attention, you might know that Bollinger has passed the point of some other companies that we've reported on. Fisker tried, they failed. Endurance tried, they failed. Lordstown Motors. Nicola tried to build class 8 heavy-duty trucks, both hybrids, electrics, and you know, hydrogen-powered fuel cells. They failed. And in fact, interesting twist, Lucid ended up buying a lot of their assets at bankruptcy auction. Interesting. It is no joke. The auto industry is capital intensive. And it does not matter if you're an EV manufacturer or traditional manufacturer. You're looking at millions upon millions just to get into the game. And really, if you're going to be in it for the long haul, billions of dollars. You don't believe me. Let me give an example. Nissan built and marketed a full-size pickup truck starting in 2004 called the Titan. They tried real hard to make inroads. It was a good truck. It was a nice truck, but they never did update it, and now they don't make it anymore. They gave up. They even built a pretty fancy cargo van and passenger van on that same chassis, trying to leverage what they knew. And they built that for a few years. And that was the first to go. And now they finally gave up on the truck itself. They've spent billions of dollars built at stateside, too. Bolinger is still alive so far. They're cutting expenses, they're laying people off, they're consolidating, they're doing what they have to to survive. The question is, we're eight years in. They're still here. A lot of their competitors are not. We will keep watching to see if what they're doing now will be enough for them to survive until it all shakes out. Will they be one of the companies left standing? That is the question of the day. And I hope they are, because I'm rooting for them. They were smart enough to pivot. They're smart enough to bite the bullet and do what they gotta do.

SPEAKER_03: 41:42

This is the Tech Mobility Podcast.

SPEAKER_00: 41:48

Every great business starts with a spark, but taking it to the next level takes strategy, connections, and capital. That's where Playbook Investors Network comes in. We're your strategic partner for accelerating growth, navigating challenges, and capturing market opportunities before your competition does. Your business is more than an idea. Let's make it an impact. Playbook Investors Network. Your future starts here. Learn more at pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_02: 42:19

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_01: 42:45

Are you tired of jumping multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look no further than AON Meetings.com, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, host virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends, all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. AON Meetings.com, where Innovation Meets Connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_00: 43:18

You've got the drive. Now you need the right partner to make it happen. At Playbook Investors Network, we power ambitious leaders with the tools, insight, and investment connections to move faster, grow stronger, and lead markets. We're more than advisors, we're your co pilots in success. Because in business, standing still is not an option. Playbook Investors Network, fueling ambition and delivering results. Visit pincommunity.org.