500-mile autonomous hybrid military EV for US: Harbinger and Rheinmetall unveil truck concept Rheinmetall and Harbinger aim to turn commercial electric truck technology into autonomous battlefield logistics platforms. Electric vehicle startup Harbinger has reportedly teamed up with American Rheinmetall to develop various trucks for military use. Based on the former’s medium-duty hybrid and electric truck chassis, the plan is to develop trucks ranging from robotic cargo haulers to battlefield logistics and resupply vehicles. Since Rheinmetall has extensive experience as a defense contractor, it will be able to provide expertise on survivability and integration into military supply chain operations. The new vehicles will use something called “drive-by-wire,” which essentially means steering, braking, and acceleration will be electronically, not mechanically, operated. Such a setup will be essential for remote operations, autonomous operations, and potentially artificial intelligence-assisted driving. The new vehicles will also form part of the Pentagon’s drive for what it calls “attritable mass.” In essence, this means they are looking for ways to field hardware that is cheap enough to be essentially disposable if needed. Harbinger of the future of army logistics? This is especially the case when trained personnel are thrown into the mix. Losing a $50 million vehicle and its crew is not only expensive but should be avoided if at all possible. And this is where Harbinger and Rheinmetall’s venture potentially comes into its own. If dangerous logistics and supply runs can be achieved using cheap autonomous electric vehicles, the costs of losses become more acceptable. Electric vehicles (EVs), in particular, offer some interesting benefits in this role too. First and foremost, they are relatively quiet in operation, making them better suited for stealth logistics, reconnaissance, and nighttime resupply. They also produce less of a heat signature compared to internal combustion engine-driven vehicles. EVs also benefit from massive