In late April, Harbinger, a startup commercial electric vehicle manufacturer, unveiled a new medium-duty, hybrid electric truck boasting a range of up to 500 miles, Electrek reported.
The California-based startup is using the $100 million investment it recently raised in its Series B round of funding in January 2025 to develop this hybrid electric truck for wide-ranging medium-duty fleet uses, including delivery, garbage collection, and more.
While the commercial transportation industry has made great strides in electrifying transport rides, some fleets are still hesitant to go fully electric, and Harbinger understands that.
"There are some fleets whose needs simply can't be met with a purely electric vehicle — and we recognize that," said John Harris, cofounder and CEO of Harbinger, per Electrek.
To help assuage these fears, Harbinger created this extended-range electric vehicle hybrid truck to meet the needs of any fleet.
Harbinger's new medium-duty, hybrid electric truck runs on a 140 or 175 kilowatt-hour Panasonic-supplied battery and is supplemented by a low-emissions, 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine that powers an 800-volt generator, which sends power to the battery when the engine is running.
Essentially, the truck relies on the battery's maximum range on a full charge before the gas engine kicks in. The engine, whose sole purpose is to power the generator that recharges the vehicle's battery, does not mechanically control or drive the vehicle's wheels as in traditional gas-powered vehicles.
According to Harbinger, this hybrid electric truck offers up to 500 miles in range.
As of 2022, transportation still represents the largest source (28%) of the nation's heat-trapping gases, per the Environmental Protection Agency. Electrifying this sector could deliver measurable economic and environmental benefits.
For one, electrifying transportation reduces the amount of routine maintenance for fleet operators, as electric vehicles have fewer moving parts than traditional diesel-powered fleets.
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Cost 💰 While the truck still has a small combustion engine that uses gas, the engine only kicks in when the vehicle's battery has depleted, which saves on fuel costs and produces a minimal amount of carbon pollution compared to diesel-powered trucks.
A battery-powered EV also idles much more quietly in traffic, reducing noise and air pollution on congested highways and roads.
Best of all, EVs can be powered by clean, renewable energy sources like solar.
EV owners can save significantly on charging costs by installing home solar, as opposed to refueling at public charging stations or pulling from the electric grid, especially during peak energy times.
EnergySage helps homeowners find and compare quotes from locally vetted solar installers, saving homeowners up to $10,000 on new solar projects.
"I wouldn't be too surprised if FedEx, UPS, and the Postal Service started buying this," one Electrek commenter wrote.
"All in all, it looks like a smart product," another user said.
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