Electric truck manufacturer opening doors to production in Ferndale, Detroit

FERNDALE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A new auto manufacturer is coming to metro Detroit - the first in 50 years.

You might not have heard of the Upstart auto company however, the idea originated out of upstate New York.

"I realized there were a lot of things about the truck that it couldn't do on the farm," said Robert Bollinger, of Bollinger Motors, "like when we had the plow on it, it always got stuck in the snow. It didn't have good weight distribution."

Born out of the impediments of more traditional autos, Bollinger saw a need for a more robust heavy duty truck. It won't run on gasoline, deferring to a battery instead. It also comes with more storage capacity than your typical truck.

"With electric vehicles, your torque is instant," Bollinger said. "In a regular gasoline vehicle you have to hit the gas to get the power going. Here, you can just rock crawl just beautifully."

The prototype was aptly named the B-1. It's cube-shaped and dark-gray in shade. The first of its kind, Bollinger is planning for more to be in production soon.

Having moved to Michigan, the former Catskills resident is making preparations to build a new plant in Detroit, on 1200 Oakman Blvd. 

Outfitted with 50 people already working at the Ferndale facility, 200 more people will be working at the factory in the future. The vehicles rolling off the line will be both four-door and pickup SUVs.

"We moved here to Detroit for the engineering capabilities, the workforce that's here, the history of automotives and all the vendors," said Bollinger.

Outfitted on the truck will be a 200 mile range per electric charge and 10 hours of off roading time. You'll be able to fit four by eight sheets of plywood and 12-foot boards. There will also be hydranautic suspension for climbing rocky hills.