EV startup Harbinger snags $400M in commercial vehicle chassis orders

Previously, Harbinger announced it had raised $60 million in Series A funds, bringing the Series A total to $73 million. The electric chassis maker will use the additional funds to continue expanding its manufacturing capacity and launch commercial production by the end of the year.

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Harbinger, founded in 2021, aims to disrupt and electrify the medium-duty commercial vehicle market in the Class 4 to 6 range. 

The company has its headquarters and manufacturing operations in Garden Grove, California, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Harbinger currently employs 120 people.

Harbinger assembles its electric vehicle stripped chassis, then sells them to a dealer or specialty upfitter, or directly to customers. From there, the dealer or customer works with a third party to upfit the chassis with a commercial or specialty body.

Harbinger’s electric chassis includes an 800-volt liquid-cooled battery system, with capacity scalable in 35-kilowatt-hour increments up to 200 miles of range. The battery packs are designed for one-hour direct current fast-charging capability.

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.

“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,” Christopher Wolfe, Bimbo Bakeries USA’s senior director of sustainability, said in a statement.

Thor Industries and Bimbo Bakeries USA are not disclosing the number of chassis they have ordered, but “Bimbo has placed a substantial multi-year order,” a spokesperson for Harbinger said.

Other firms making orders include Doggett Equipment Services Group (500 units); Campbell Supply (125 units); GATR Truck Center (500 units); Ethero Truck + Energy (200 units); Electric Commercial Vehicles (ECV), an affiliate of Smyrna Truck (50 units); and postal service operator Mail Management Services (40 units). 

Officials for Campbell Supply said they have a backlog of orders for medium-duty vehicles. Iowa Falls, Iowa-based Campbell Supply is a commercial and emergency vehicle dealership serving the northeastern U.S. The company is one of Freightliner’s largest dealers.

“Demand outstrips supply for the entire medium-duty category as we have a multi-year backlog for electric, diesel and gasoline vehicles,” Scott Campbell, owner of Campbell Supply, said in a statement. “Electric vehicles have a big place in the market and that segment is only going to continue to grow.”