Harbinger launches new electric work truck, aquires autonomous driving company

TechNexus portfolio company Harbinger unveils the HC Series Cab — a medium-duty electric work truck built from the ground up, not retrofitted from diesel — with a 500-mile hybrid range and on-site power export. The company also acquired Phantom AI to bring advanced driver-assistance features to commercial fleets.

Electric vehicle manufacturer and TechNexus portfolio company Harbinger revealed its new line of medium-duty work trucks called the HC Series Cab, bringing customers elevated range, mobility and driver safety at a price competitive with traditional diesel trucks. “For too long, fleets have had to compromise between payload, maneuverability, range and onboard capability,” John Harris, Co-Founder and CEO of Harbinger, said in a news release. “We engineered this platform to outperform legacy diesel options while unlocking new advantages through electrification and our range-extended hybrid system to enable real work in the field.” The vehicle is low cab forward, meaning that the seating area is further forward and lower to the ground, and can carry a variety of bodies and configurations. This design gives drivers a clearer view and makes it easier to maneuver tight city streets. Unlike many electric trucks that are modified versions of older gas models, the HC Series Cab, the part of the truck where the driver and passengers sit, was built in-house from the ground up to be electric. It has a high payload capacity, meaning it can carry just as much heavy equipment or cargo as a standard diesel truck. The truck can also act as a giant portable outlet, providing electricity to run heavy-duty power tools directly from the vehicle, which eliminates the need for noisy gas generators at a job site. The plug-in hybrid model includes a gas-powered generator that pushes the truck's range to 500 miles, giving long-distance fleets more confidence on the road. To further the existing safety features in Harbinger vehicles, like advanced backup cameras and virtual bumpers, Harbinger recently acquired Phantom AI, an autonomous driving company specializing in computer vision. Through this acquisition and a new partnership with global automotive leader ZF Group, Harbinger will equip its trucks with driver assistance tech, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control an

By Sara Xu at TechNexus Venture Collaborative