Harbinger, a leading American-made medium-duty electric and hybrid vehicle manufacturer, has acquired autonomous driving company Phantom AI. 

In addition to this acquisition, Harbinger and ZF Group’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) business unit for passenger vehicles announced a deal to license Phantom AI’s computer vision for its passenger car ADAS products. The acquisition of Phantom AI and the partnership with ZF Group create a new software services revenue stream for Harbinger. 

Medium-Duty Trucks & Phantom AI

Harbinger will also incorporate Phantom AI’s computer vision into its medium-duty electric and hybrid vehicles in 2026, including emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, and more. The integration responds to fleet customer demand due to the lack of such safety systems in medium-duty vehicles.

“Our acquisition of Phantom AI and partnership with ZF are pivotal milestones for Harbinger as we expand beyond commercial vehicles and enter new segments for the first time,” said John Harris, co-founder and CEO, Harbinger. “We are combining Phantom AI’s computer vision with ZF’s global reach and leadership in automotive systems to unlock an entirely new revenue stream of software services and autonomy. At the same time, we are incorporating even more advanced driver assistance and safety features into our medium-duty vehicles, which is something our large Fortune 500 customers have been asking for.”

Phantom AI ADAS for Passenger Cars

Phantom AI was co-founded by former Tesla ADAS engineer Hyunggi Cho and former Hyundai driver-assistance and autonomous-driving engineer Chan Kyu Lee, both of whom bring deep experience in developing and deploying ADAS technologies for major vehicle manufacturers. ZF will license Phantom AI’s computer vision for its passenger car ADAS products, and will work towards providing more advanced autonomous driving capabilities in the future. 

“Licensing Phantom AI’s computer vision will help strengthen ZF’s passenger car ADAS portfolio” said Christopher Ludwig, Vice President of Procurement for ZF’s Electronics & ADAS Division. “This collaboration allows ZF to provide a broader selection of products and options at different values to our customers today while creating a path for future autonomous driving capabilities.” 

Level 2 Autonomous Solutions

As a first step, Phantom AI has built cost-effective Level 2 autonomous solutions to reduce the burden of everyday driving and make the roads safer for everyone. Phantom AI has focused on democratizing technologies such as automatic emergency braking and emergency lane support before rolling out high level autonomy. 

Harbinger’s acquisition of Phantom AI was completed in November 2025. The Phantom AI team of 30 employees will continue to operate in Mountain View, California. 

“Thanks to this acquisition, we are able to deliver a more comprehensive, technology-forward solution that includes robust ADAS capabilities and telematics to the medium-duty vehicle segment and beyond,” said Dr. Cho, Co-Founder and CEO, Phantom AI. “While these features are already expected in passenger vehicles, medium-duty fleets have historically been underserved.” 

Purpose-Built Electric Vehicles

Harbinger’s vehicles are purpose-built from the ground up to be electric and to serve the rigorous needs of the medium-duty segment. The company has created a driver-centric vehicle with improved suspension and handling features designed to improve driver comfort and reduce fatigue, an important consideration for large fleets. 

Prior to the addition of Phantom AI’s technology, Harbinger trucks already included modern safety and ADAS features including backup cameras with dynamic trajectory, virtual bumpers, acoustic vehicle alerting systems (AVAS), and more. 

Harbinger said these features are offered in an electric vehicle that is acquisition cost-competitive with current combustion engine vehicles, helping fleets achieve significant operational cost savings without large upfront electric vehicle costs.