An innovative automobile company is planning a move from its current Catskill location to the Motor City. Bollinger Motors, creators of the first world’s first all-electric off-road/on-road sport utility truck, plans on moving its employees as soon as it finds the right location in Detroit.

We sat down with founder Robert Bollinger, currently in town to search for real estate and visit the auto show.

The company was created in 2014 after Bollinger, formerly a Creative Director in New York City, realized he needed a better, more evolved vehicle on his upstate New York Catskills farm. Engineering and prototyping started in October 2015. In July 2017, the Bollinger B1 prototype was unveiled at the New York Auto Show.

Bollinger, who has a degree in Industrial Design from Carnegie Mellon, always intended on becoming a car designer. Detroit is a natural fit for the company, and Bollinger sees great opportunity for his new company here, along with a wealth of talent to hire. The proximity to vendors also swayed his decision.

The company currently has eight employees and he intends to hire ten more after the move. The company will be more of a research and design center, hiring engineers, welders, and marketers for the new office. They plan to launch the all-electric sport utility truck in the second half of 2019, with full production in 2020. The company could move to manufacturing here in the future.

Initially, Bollinger was looking for a place along the I-75 corridor to set up shop. But after spending more time in the city, he realized he wanted to be closer to the people here. He’s currently searching for something in the 15-25,000-square-foot range, in good enough condition that they can move in and take on renovations along the way.

He says they’re excited about bringing their electric truck to the Motor City. This kind of vehicle has a unique audience, with interests in off-roading, capability, and environmental concerns.

More on Bollinger Motors can be found here.