"We Believe Medium-Duty EVs Will see Very Rapid Adoption" - John Harris, CEO, Harbinger Motors

Harbinger Motors is taking on the challenge of electrifying the medium-duty vehicle segment, which includes walk-in vans, box trucks, recreational vehicles, delivery vans, school buses, emergency and disaster response vehicles and more.

The Southern California-based automotive manufacturer has developed an EV chassis for the segment.

"When we looked at the industry, we realized there was a huge electrification opportunity in the medium-duty vehicle segment, and set our sights on transforming this area. It is our belief that for commercial electric vehicles to become ubiquitous, they should be just as affordable to purchase as their gas and diesel counterparts," John Harris, Harbinger's Co-Founder and CEO, tells Auto Futures.

"We have made it our mission to create an electric vehicle that isn’t just environmentally friendly, but also has a low enough purchase price that any fleet can afford it."

The company's EV chassis includes the powertrain, high voltage (HV) battery system, steering, brakes, and more.

"We are the only electric truck maker that manufactures our own motors and battery packs in-house. By taking this approach, we keep costs low and provide a higher-performing, safer and more durable solution than electric vehicles that are adapted from existing diesel and gasoline platforms," he explains.

The EV chassis can integrate future innovations in autonomy and advanced safety, particularly with its steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems.

Transitioning To A Cleaner Future

Recreational vehicle (RV) manufacturers can benefit from Harbinger's electric platform as it allows them to deliver on the growing demand for electrified products.

"The public’s increasing desire for emissions-free travel options is driving RV makers to develop and execute long-term EV strategies. Harbinger is a solution that helps them bring these sustainable RV technologies to their customers faster as all the components needed to make it electric are included in the chassis," explains Harris.

Leading RV manufacturer THOR Industries is an investor in Harbinger. In March 2024, Harbinger delivered its first pre-production chassis to THOR.

THOR plans to upfit the chassis into an electrified class A RV.

"Our ongoing partnership is helping both companies innovate as the industry transitions to a cleaner future. In November 2022, we announced a strategic partnership with THOR Industries whereby we would help them enhance the overall RV experience through their holistic, global eMobility innovation strategy. The partnership focused broadly on developing an electrified RV ecosystem that helps THOR execute this strategy."

The company has also partnered with Sibros to incorporate technology for full vehicle software update management, vehicle analytics, and remote commands in one integrated system.

"Telematics and over-the-air updates are key components of the modern electric vehicle experience, and requires a complicated software stack to deliver. Sibros provides that software stack, and helps ensure our electric vehicle platform is performing at its peak while maintaining durability," he says.

A Harbinger Of Change

Harbinger's Series A funding round is being used to bolster its production capabilities and increase its workforce.

"Our current EV stripped chassis required significant ground-up design resources, and the costs associated with scaling the production of a chassis that improves performance, durability and lifespan of Class 4 to Class 6 vehicles are significant.  All of this growth can’t happen without the manpower to make it all happen, so a portion of the funding is being used to increase our workforce. We are on track to meet our stated goal of doubling our workforce by Fall 2024," says Harris.

Its Garden Grove facility in California, which opened in April 2024, gives the company space and flexibility to advance vehicle and component development programs as well as continue on the path to full-scale production.

"This new facility serves as our principal headquarters, enabling us to have all operations under one roof. We conduct research and development, chassis assembly, drivetrain manufacturing, and battery pack manufacturing all at the Garden Grove facility," says Harris.

Finally we asked him for his thoughts what e-mobility in the US will look like by the end of the decade.

"We anticipate that the passenger and long-haul EV vehicle segments will continue to grow as the cost of the products is reduced, enabling them to respond to new pockets of customer demand and use cases," Harris predicts.

"We believe medium-duty EVs will see very rapid adoption compared to the rest of the trucking segment for a variety of reasons: medium-duty delivery vehicles traditionally travel an average of 50-100 miles per day, which means they don’t have the same charging challenges as passenger or long-haul vehicles; and they also often operate as single-shift vehicles, which means they can regularly charge overnight."

"Forward-thinking companies that adopt medium-duty EVs can also build out easily accessible, cost-effective charging infrastructure to accommodate that need," concludes Harris.