Automaker Harbinger has closed a $160m Series C funding round co-led by FedEx to scale production of medium‑duty electric vehicles (EVs).

Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund and THOR Industries also co-led the financing, with participation from Ridgeline, a longstanding Harbinger backer supported by FedEx.

Other existing investors in the round included Tiger Global; Leitmotif (backed by Volkswagen); and VC firms Maniv Mobility, Schematic Ventures, Overture Climate, Ironspring Ventures, ArcTern Ventures, Litquidity Ventures, and The Coca-Cola System Sustainability Fund.

The new financing brings Harbinger’s total capital raised to $358m.

Alongside the investment, FedEx has placed an initial order for 53 Harbinger vehicles.

The order covers Class 5 and Class 6 models intended to support the company’s higher-capacity pickup and delivery needs and its ongoing network modernisation.

Harbinger said it plans to begin shipping chassis ready for body upfit before the end of the calendar year.

FedEx safety and transportation senior vice president Paul Melander said: “As we work toward a goal to electrify the entire FedEx pickup and delivery fleet by 2040, this trifecta of performance, price, and operational resilience is what we need to be able to continue to scale.

“We look forward to bringing these Class 5 and 6 units into our fleet and seeing electric medium-duty trucking options—like what Harbinger is offering—become more accessible in the marketplace for commercial fleets of all sizes.”

Harbinger co-founder and CEO John Harris said: “Harbinger is driving the next generation of medium-duty electric vehicles with a clean-sheet platform designed for optimised fleet performance.  

“The level of investor support we’ve received reflects strong belief in the practicality of our platform, and our order from FedEx demonstrates that this vision is already taking shape in the market.”

Harbinger develops an in-house “EV stripped chassis” platform in the US, integrating core vehicle systems to support a vertically integrated manufacturing approach that the company says helps manage costs.

The trucks are designed with a focus on suspension, handling and safety, and feature advanced driver assistance systems including dynamic-trajectory backup cameras, virtual bumpers and acoustic vehicle alerting systems.

The platform’s modular design supports battery configurations tailored to operational requirements, offering ranges from around 225km to more than 321km.

The company highlights acquisition costs positioned against comparable internal combustion models, as well as acceleration and steering suited to urban environments.

THOR Industries has previously collaborated with Harbinger in the recreational vehicle segment.

In September, THOR’s Entegra Coach introduced the Embark, a range-extended electric Class A motorhome that combines Harbinger’s EV chassis with a low-emissions petrol range extender, offering up to 724km of range.