Among the many 4,000 binding vehicle pre-orders from customers for Harbinger’s electric medium-duty truck chassis is a multi-year order from Bimbo Bakeries USA, the U.S. business of Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest baking company, and producer of brands including Sara Lee Bread, Thomas’ Bread, Entenmann’s, and more.
Electric truck company Harbinger has announced details from its order book, which incorporates $400 million in customer vehicle orders for its electric medium-duty truck chassis, from Bimbo Bakeries USA, RV manufacturer THOR Industries, and more.
Harbinger made the announcement on the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo.
What’s in Harbinger’s Order Book
Among the many 4,000 binding vehicle pre-orders from customers is a multi-year order from Bimbo Bakeries USA, the U.S. business of Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest baking company, and producer of brands including Sara Lee Bread, Thomas’ Bread, Entenmann’s, and more.
Harbinger also received orders from THOR Industries, the world’s largest RV manufacturer, which incorporates corporations like Airstream, Jayco, Tiffin and Thor Motor Coach.
Moreover, business vehicle dealers have placed orders. Those include two of Freightliner’s largest dealers: Doggett Equipment Services Group with 500 units, and Campbell Supply with 125 units.
Other dealers include:
- GATR Truck Center, 500 units
- ETHERO Truck + Energy, 200 units
- Electric Industrial Vehicles (ECV) — an affiliate of Smyrna Truck, 50 units
Postal service operator Mail Management Services has also placed an order for 40 units, amongst others.
What the Chassis Will Be Used For
Harbinger’s electric chassis is obtainable in three different wheelbases, including 158 in., 178 in., and 208 in., and in 4 different GVWRs, starting from class 4 through 6.
The vast majority of the vehicles in Harbinger’s 4,000-unit order, including those for Bimbo Bakeries USA, are intended for upfit into step vans and are the standard large package delivery trucks seen on roads today, the corporate noted in a news release.
The others shall be upfit into various vehicle types similar to class A motorhomes, emergency vehicles, and cutaway cabs. Harbinger is working with body partner Sevna to upfit the chassis into cutaway cabs.
Harbinger’s electric chassis is obtainable in three different wheelbases, including 158 in., 178 in., and 208 in., and in 4 different gross vehicle weight rankings (GVWRs), starting from class 4 through 6.
Other specifications include:
- 800V liquid cooled battery system, with capability scalable in 35kWh increments as much as 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 Higher World, Bimbo Bakeries USA has multiple carbon reduction strategies to fulfill their commitment of achieving Net-Zero emissions by 2050,” Bimbo Bakeries USA Senior Director of Sustainability Christopher Wolfe said. “Partnering with Harbinger to expand our robust fleet of alternatively fueled vehicles is a vital step in reducing our carbon emissions and dependencies on fossil fuels.”
Funding to Expand Manufacturing Capability
The corporate also announced it closed an extra $13 million in Series A funds in Q4 of 2023 from enterprise and strategic investors, including additional funding from the Coca-Cola System Sustainability Fund, managed by Greycroft.
Previously, the corporate announced it had raised $60 million in Series A funds, bringing the brand new Series A complete to $73 million and marking considered one of the biggest Series A rounds for a hardware company.
Harbinger will use the extra funds to proceed expanding its manufacturing capability and launch its business start of production in Q4 of 2024.
“While other latest entrants struggle to fill their order pipelines, we now have extensive pre-orders and backed-up demand for our medium-duty electric vehicles,” Harbinger CEO John Harris said. “We’re laser focused on the medium-duty vehicle segment, where there is a large number 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, somewhat than constructing a ground-up electric platform. This compromised approach results in concerns with vehicle safety and sturdiness in addition to higher production costs, which is why we selected to begin fresh with a clean sheet design.”
A part of Harbinger’s strategy is to construct a 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 corporate’s premier dealer network, which already serves 78% of the population within the U.S. and Canada and continues to expand, includes the next amongst others:
- Campbell Supply
- Doggett Equipment Services Group
- EBY Ford
- ETHERO Truck + Energy
- EV Alternative
- GATR EV, a division of GATR Truck Center
- Hendrickson Fire
- Electric Industrial Vehicles (ECV), an affiliate of Smyrna Truck
- Safetek Specialty Vehicles (Canada)
“Demand outstrips supply for your complete medium-duty category as we now have a multi-year backlog for electric, diesel and gasoline vehicles,” Campbell Supply Owner Scott Campbell said. “Electric vehicles have a giant place out there and that segment is simply going to proceed to grow. Harbinger’s electric trucks are a real industry changer. They provide superior acquisition and operating costs, enhanced safety features, and a driver-friendly design, all while delivering zero tailpipe emissions.”
The corporate has already produced and delivered a limited variety of pre-production vehicles to key customers, including the first customer delivery to THOR in March of this yr. Harbinger will begin producing and delivering its first production vehicles starting at the tip of 2024.
This Article First Appeared At www.automotive-fleet.com
