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BFD Expert Voices - Climate Deals

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"We will sell more electric trucks under Trump than we would have sold under Biden, because we're selling entirely on economics," Harbinger Motors CEO John Harris tells Axios Pro.

Why it matters: Axios Pro reported this spring that the California startup tapped Goldman Sachs to weigh an IPO.

Editor's note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.

"We have just gotten into positive gross margin territory. In 2024, there were 400 electric trucks registered across the U.S. in Class 4, 5, and 6. In 2025 — year one of production for Harbinger — we sold over 700."

What's different about Harbinger than predecessors that failed?

"People are going to buy the best vehicle in the segment that meets their needs. One company understood this: Tesla. 

When Tesla built the Model S, they built the best sedan on the market. As a result, in 2013, Tesla outsold the entire 2012 EV market in Year 1 of launch.

We built an electric truck that's the best medium-duty truck on the road for handling quality, operating cost, visibility. And it happens to be electric, at a price point that's sane for the market."

"It's like someone sat down and invented a segment just to make it easier to sell EVs. They are overwhelmingly single-shift vehicles, which means you get to charge the vehicles overnight. They're overwhelmingly at industrial depots, so they have good power available. And they're used usually on fixed routes every day.

We can sell just the right amount of battery, they can charge it slowly and cheaply every night, and the big automakers do not care about medium-duty trucks — they haven't been updated in decades."

"People will not be arm-twisted into buying EVs. They will buy the best product in the market. And if they can save on operating costs, they will."

Harbinger Motors CEO talks about box trucks bet

The economics are there, regardless of politics.

A photo of a conference attendee in a light-blue sportcoat, apparently looking at his phone while facing away from the camera, with an electric Harbinger Motors panel truck parked in the background of the conference floor.

A Harbinger Motors truck and drive unit at a conference in Las Vegas this spring. Photo: Ian Maule/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

&quot;We will sell more electric trucks under Trump than we would have sold under Biden, because we&#x27;re selling entirely on economics,&quot; Harbinger Motors CEO John Harris tells Axios Pro.Why it matters: Axios Pro reported this spring that the California startup <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tapped Goldman Sachs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2026/05/26/harbinger-motors-weighs-ipo-electric-trucks-evs" data-vars-content-id="ef558408-99cd-48fa-812f-ecd41656a322" data-vars-headline="Harbinger Motors CEO talks about box trucks bet" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2026/05/26/harbinger-motors-weighs-ipo-electric-trucks-evs" target="_self">tapped Goldman Sachs</a> to weigh an IPO.

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Harbinger Motors CEO talks about box trucks bet

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