Tesla Misses The Electric Truck Boat, Again

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The cratering of Tesla’s EV sales and its stock, too, has already become the stuff of legend, and it could get worse. As auto industry observers have anticipated for years, competition from other EV stakeholders has been on the rise. That includes the medium-duty electric truck field, an area ripe for electrification which Tesla CEO Elon Musk has yet to tap, instead lavishing attention on the ill-fated “Cybertruck” and a long-delayed foray into the field of heavy-duty Class 8 trucks.

A Harbinger Chassis Is Coming For Your Fossil Fuels

The latest news in the medium-duty electric truck field involves the California startup Harbinger, which launched in 2021. It already has the leading firms THOR Industries and ETHERO Truck + Energy, among others, under its wing. The company announced the official start of production at its Garden Grove factory on April 8, with the first 100 chassis to roll off the assembly line.

That’s just for starters. As of April 8, Harbinger already had orders for 4,690 vehicles under its belt, totaling $500 million. That, along with a Series B funding round, puts the company on track to scale up.

The Series B funding round was no small potatoes. It closed in January to the tune of $1 million, co-led by Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund and the new European-anchored US venture capital fund Leitmotif, with significant funding from Tiger Global.

The Series B round also demonstrated quite a bit of faith in Harbinger’s ability to deliver. Among the returning investors participating in Series B, Harbinger lists Tiger Global, The Coca-Cola System Sustainability Fund, ArcTern Ventures, THOR Industries and its investment partner TechNexus, Ridgeline, Maniv Mobility, Ironspring Ventures, Schematic Ventures, and Overture Climate.

What’s All The Fuss Over An Electric Truck Chassis?

If you’re wondering why everyone — including Coca-Cola — is so excited over an electric truck chassis, that’s a good question. As described by Harbinger, the stripped chassis is a common feature of the medium-duty truck market. The chassis manufacturer does their part, and the purchaser connects with a third-party specialist to conform the rest of the truck according to their specific needs, which can vary widely.

“The chassis is designed specifically for medium-duty vehicles, such as walk-in vans, box trucks, recreational vehicles (RVs), delivery vans, emergency and disaster response vehicles and more,” Harbinger explains.

Harbinger also notes that its journey from launch to factory operations was a quick 4-year sprint, which indicates that the electric truck industry has a firm supply chain under its belt. The company lists the electric drivetrain, high-voltage (HV) battery system, steering, and brakes among the components included in the chassis.

“Notably, Harbinger is the only truck manufacturer building electric drivetrain systems in-house,” Harbinger emphasizes. “The company’s vertically integrated manufacturing approach keeps production costs low for its superior quality EV product.”

Panasonic Enlisted For Electric Truck Batteries

In the latest news about Harbinger, on April 23, the company announced that it has selected Panasonic Energy to be its official battery cell supplier.

Panasonic will contribute the latest iteration of its 2170 batteries to all of Harbinger’s models. “These high-performing battery cells boast an industry-leading energy density of above 800Wh/L (watt-hours per liter), ensuring superior energy solutions that enhance truck performance and efficiency,” Harbinger enthuses.

Harbinger further notes that the initial supply of batteries will be manufactured in Japan, but the two companies are working on US-based production through an expansion of Panasonic’s existing factory in Kansas. “This opportunity would enable the addition of US-produced battery cells to Harbinger’s existing US-based production of battery packs, making the complete battery pack assembly the first in the commercial vehicle sector to be fully US-sourced,” Harbinger emphasizes.

“As of March 2025, Panasonic Energy had supplied approximately 19 billion lithium-ion EV batteries globally, equivalent to powering 3.7 million EVs, without any vehicle recalls due to battery-attributed issues, highlighting its reputation for high-quality, reliable battery cells,” Harbinger emphasizes again for good measure.

Whatever Happened To The Tesla Semi Electric Truck?

Harbinger is just one example of the fast and furious activity stirring in the medium-duty truck field. Tesla makes trucks, too, but not medium-duty trucks. Musk teased the idea of a Tesla pickup truck years ago, only to deliver the barely-a-truck, Edsel-level Tesla Cybertruck.

Musk also teased the idea of an autonomous electric van back in 2022. Since then, there’s been more talk but no real action. If and when Tesla does produce a van, the brand is now so toxic that it’s difficult to imagine any leading US commercial fleet owner tying its reputation to the man responsible for the DOGE debacle.

Meanwhile, Tesla has been hard at work finally bringing its Semi Class 8 electric truck into full production. After all, what automaker — or child, for that matter — wants to play around with boring old vans when a great big semi tractor is in the room?

Well, aside from Harbinger and its customers, there’s Rivian. And Ford, of course. GM, too. Mercedes-Benz. The list goes on.

When production does crank up to full speed on the Semi later this year, it will run headlong into a brick wall of competition.

Volvo Trucks is among the legacy Class 8 truck makers going up against Tesla in the electric truck field. Others include Daimler Truck North America, Accelera (the zero emission branch of Cummins), and PACCAR, which are jointly producing LFP batteries for electric trucks.

Toyota has also sent its TERN Class 8 electric truck rolling down the roads of North America, and another Japanese firm ZO Motors, is also eyeballing the North American market for a whole range of trucks up to and including Class 8.

Whatever Happened To Fuel Cell Electric Trucks?

One competitor that Tesla does not have to worry about is Nikola. The beleaguered Class 8 fuel cell electric truck maker finally declared bankruptcy earlier this year. Tesla competitor Lucid bought part of the remains at auction earlier this month, looking to expand its luxury sedan and SUV plans.

That’s not the end of competition for the Tesla Semi from fuel cell trucks, though. Hyundai is among those still holding the torch. Last December, the automaker announced that it had deployed 21 of its Class 8 XCIENT fuel cell trucks through the Glovis America truck fleet, which provides logistical support to the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia.

Hold on to your hats….

Photo: The US startup Harbinger is bringing its stripped chassis business model to the electric truck market in the US — and more, including electric vans, RVs, and emergency vehicles among others (courtesy of Harbinger).