- 4,000 binding pre-orders from customers including Bimbo
Bakeries USA; the world's largest
RV manufacturer, THOR Industries; postal service operator, Mail
Management Services; leading North American commercial vehicle
dealers; and more.
- Harbinger formally announces it raised one of the hardware
industry's largest-ever Series A rounds, which closed at
$73 million in Q4 2023.
- The company announces its North American network of premier
dealers, which is already positioned to serve 78% of the population
in the U.S. and Canada, and
continues to grow.
- The new orders and funds are catalyzing rapid growth around the
manufacturing and commercialization of Harbinger's innovative
electric vehicle chassis.
LAS
VEGAS and LOS
ANGELES, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Harbinger,
a Southern California-based electric truck manufacturer,
announced today at ACT Expo its order book, which includes 4,000
binding vehicle pre-orders from customers and is valued at more
than $400 million. This includes a
substantial multi-year order from Bimbo Bakeries USA, the U.S. business of Grupo Bimbo, the
world's largest baking company, and producer of iconic brands
including Sara Lee Bread®, Thomas'®, Entenmann's® and more.
Harbinger also received orders from the world's largest
recreational vehicle (RV) manufacturer, THOR Industries, known
for its operating companies which include Airstream, Jayco, Tiffin
and Thor Motor Coach. Additionally, commercial vehicle dealers have
placed significant orders including two of Freightliner's largest
dealers Doggett Equipment Services Group (500 units) and Campbell
Supply (125 units); as well as other dealers, GATR Truck Center
(500 units); ETHERO Truck + Energy (200 units); Electric Commercial
Vehicles (ECV), an affiliate of Smyrna Truck (50 units) and more.
Postal service operator, Mail Management Services has also
placed an order for 40 units, among others.
The company has also announced it closed an additional
$13 million in Series A funds in Q4
of 2023 from venture and strategic investors, including additional
funding from the Coca-Cola System Sustainability Fund, managed by
Greycroft. Previously, the company announced it had raised
$60 million in Series A funds,
bringing the new Series A total to $73
million and marking one of the largest Series A rounds for a
hardware company. Harbinger will use the additional funds to
continue expanding its manufacturing capacity and launch its
commercial start of production in Q4 of 2024.
"While other new entrants struggle to fill their order
pipelines, we have extensive pre-orders and backed-up demand for
our medium-duty electric vehicles," said John Harris, CEO, Harbinger. "We are laser
focused on the medium-duty vehicle segment, where there is a huge
variety of vehicles built on chassis like ours including walk-in
vans, box trucks, recreational vehicles, delivery vans, school
buses, emergency and disaster response vehicles and more. Today,
most manufacturers are adapting gasoline or diesel vehicles to
electrification, rather than building a ground-up electric
platform. This compromised approach leads to concerns with vehicle
safety and durability as well as higher production costs, which is
why we chose to start fresh with a clean sheet design."
A Premier Network of Partners and Dealers
Part of Harbinger's strategy is to build a holistic network to
support the launch of its electric medium-duty trucks, including a
nationwide network of service providers, charging and
infrastructure development partners, and premier dealers. The
company's premier dealer network, which already serves 78% of the
population in the U.S. and Canada
and continues to expand, includes the following among others:
- Campbell Supply
- Doggett Equipment Services Group
- EBY Ford
- ETHERO Truck + Energy
- EV Choice
- GATR EV, a division of GATR Truck Center
- Hendrickson Fire
- Electric Commercial Vehicles (ECV), an affiliate of Smyrna
Truck
- Safetek Specialty Vehicles (Canada)
"Demand outstrips supply for the entire medium-duty category as
we have a multi-year backlog for electric, diesel and gasoline
vehicles," said Scott Campbell,
Owner, Campbell Supply. "Electric vehicles have a big place in the
market and that segment is only going to continue to grow.
Harbinger's electric trucks are a true industry changer. They offer
superior acquisition and operating costs, enhanced safety features,
and a driver-friendly design, all while delivering zero tailpipe
emissions."
Seasoned Team, Clean Slate Design
Harbinger is led by a management and technical team that hails
from Tesla, Rivian, Ford, Anduril, SpaceX, Toyota, Honda, Volvo
Trucks, Mack Trucks, and more.
Harbinger has created a proprietary electric platform, also known
as an electric vehicle stripped chassis, from the ground-up. It
includes all major vehicle systems, which the company designs and
assembles in house, including the powertrain, high voltage (HV)
battery system, steering, brakes, and more. This vertically
integrated approach keeps costs low and provides a
higher-performing, safer and more durable solution than electric
vehicles built upon existing diesel and gasoline platforms, which
is common in the industry. Harbinger is the only electric truck
maker that manufactures its own motors and battery packs, which is
a more cost effective and tailored solution than integrating
off-the-shelf systems.
Harbinger Business Model
Once Harbinger assembles its electric vehicle stripped chassis,
the company sells them to a dealer, a specialty upfitter, or
directly to large fleet customers. From there, the dealer or
customer works with a third party to upfit the chassis with a
commercial or specialty body. Selling medium-duty stripped chassis
separately from the body is standard practice for the large gas and
diesel incumbents such as Ford and Freightliner.
One Platform, Many Possibilities
The majority of the vehicles in Harbinger's 4,000-unit order,
including those for Bimbo Bakeries USA, are intended for upfit into walk-in vans,
which are commonly referred to as "step vans" and are the typical
large package delivery trucks seen on roads today. The others will
be upfit into various vehicle types such as class A motorhomes,
emergency vehicles and cutaway cabs, which are vehicles where only
a cab is provided and an upfitter provides a custom-built payload
area to create box trucks, shuttle buses, and more. Harbinger is
working with body partner Sevna to upfit the chassis into cutaway
cabs. Harbinger's electric chassis is available in three different
wheelbases, including 158 inches, 178 inches, and 208 inches, and
in four different gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWRs), ranging
from class 4 through 6.
Other specifications include:
- 800V liquid cooled battery system, with capacity scalable in
35kWh increments up to a 200+ mile range, which serves 90% of truck
use cases
- Designed for 20-year, 450,000-mile service life
- Segment-leading safety and driver assistance features
- One-hour DC fast charging capability
- Passenger vehicle-like handling and ride comfort
"Aligned with Grupo Bimbo's Purpose of Nourishing a Better
World, Bimbo Bakeries USA has
multiple carbon reduction strategies to meet their commitment of
achieving Net-Zero emissions by 2050," said Christopher Wolfe, Senior Director of
Sustainability, Bimbo Bakeries USA. "Partnering with Harbinger to expand our
robust fleet of alternatively fueled vehicles is an important step
in reducing our carbon emissions and dependencies on fossil
fuels."
Early Orders Being Manufactured Today
Harbinger's manufacturing efforts are led by a world-class team
including Tesla's former Vice President (VP) of Manufacturing,
Gilbert Passin, who serves as
Harbinger's Chief Production Officer. Passin, who spent nearly a
decade at Tesla and led the launch and ramp-up of the Tesla Fremont
factory, also held prior VP and General Manager-level roles with
Toyota, Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks,
and Renault. Former Rivian VP of Supply Chain and Tesla executive
Steve Gawronski serves as
Harbinger's Vice President of Supply Chain and Logistics.
Under Passin and his team's leadership, the company has already
produced and delivered a limited number of pre-production vehicles
to key customers, including the first customer delivery to THOR in
March of this year. Harbinger will begin producing and delivering
its first production vehicles starting at the end of 2024.
"The THOR executives were amazed by the clean design of
Harbinger's electric chassis, and most had a hard time believing
this was a pre-production vehicle," said Jim Kane, Director of eMobility at THOR
Industries. "Harbinger's product is so much better than anything
else we have seen from the industry."
Government Incentives are a Game Changer for the
Industry
Government regulations are accelerating the adoption of electric
vehicles into fleets across the nation. The U.S. federal
government's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is providing up to
$40,000 per vehicle in tax incentives
to buyers or lessors of commercial electric vehicles; either 30% of
the original purchase price of the vehicle minus the credit, or the
price difference between the electric vehicle and an equivalent gas
or diesel vehicle. This incentive is valid from Jan. 1, 2023 through Dec.
31, 2032 with no limit on the number of vehicles sold or
amount of money disbursed through this incentive. Additionally,
state and local zero-emissions grants introduce substantially more
cost savings directly to customers. For example, California's Hybrid and Zero-Emissions Truck
and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) provides buyers with
approximately $30,000 - $85,000 worth of grants to purchase clean
vehicles.
"Harbinger was founded on the principle that for commercial
electric vehicles to become ubiquitous, they should be just as
affordable to purchase as their gas and diesel counterparts," said
Harris. "The medium-duty truck market will quickly move to clean,
economical electric power over the next few years, especially as
government tax incentives and grants make all-electric trucks more
affordable. There is a huge need for electrification in this
market, and Harbinger is filling that gap."
Price Parity with Gasoline and Diesel Vehicles
Most electric vehicles are only cost competitive with gasoline
and diesel vehicles when factoring in the total cost of ownership,
which takes into account the fuel and maintenance savings over many
years. Harbinger takes a different approach. The company's vehicles
are sold at price parity with equivalent gas and diesel models
after federal government tax incentives.
Harbinger at ACT Expo
Harbinger is exhibiting at this year's Advanced Clean
Transportation (ACT) Expo. With one of the largest booths (#1271),
they are showcasing a Bimbo Bakeries USA walk-in van, a cutaway cab developed by
Harbinger partner Sevna, and the full suite of Harbinger's
proprietary vehicle technologies, including a complete electric
stripped chassis and advanced safety systems demonstrations. On
Wed., May 20 at 2:15 p.m. PT, Harbinger CEO John Harris will speak on a panel titled Vehicle
Innovation, where he will discuss transformative innovations in
vehicle technology for fleet applications. The expo floor opened on
Mon., May 20, in Las Vegas, Nevada and ends on Thurs., May 23.
About Harbinger
Harbinger is a commercial electric
vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving
for innovation. Harbinger's best-in-class team of EV, battery, and
drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to support the
growing demand for medium-duty EVs. Leveraging a foundation of
proprietary, in-house developed vehicle technologies designed
specifically for commercial and specialty vehicle applications,
Harbinger is bringing a first-of-its-kind EV platform to market,
priced at parity to gasoline and diesel
vehicles. Harbinger: familiar form, revolutionary
foundation.
To learn more about Harbinger, please
visit www.harbingermotors.com.
Harbinger Media Contact
Kylee Keskerian
PR Manager
419-822-6417
kylee@futuristacommunications.com
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