Harbinger, a Southern California-based electric truck manufacturer, announced 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 US 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.
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.
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,” says 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.”
