Harbinger acquires Phantom AI, signs ZF licensing deal

US-based medium-duty electrical and hybrid conveyance shaper Harbinger has acquired autonomous driving bundle steadfast Phantom AI.

Harbinger has besides secured an precocious operator assistance systems (ADAS) licensing statement with Germany’s ZF Group.

Financial presumption of the deals were not disclosed.

The acquisition allows Harbinger to embed Phantom AI’s precocious driver-assistance capabilities into its medium-duty electrical and hybrid vehicles from this year.

Planned functions see automatic exigency braking, adaptive cruise power and lane-keeping.

Harbinger said the determination addresses request from fleet customers for information technologies that stay constricted successful the medium-duty conveyance segment.

Alongside the purchase, Harbinger has agreed to licence Phantom AI’s computer-vision bundle to ZF Group’s passenger-car ADAS unit.

The statement is expected to found a caller bundle services gross watercourse for Harbinger pursuing the takeover.

Harbinger co-founder and CEO John Harris said: “We are combining Phantom AI's machine imaginativeness with ZF's planetary scope and enactment successful automotive systems to unlock an wholly caller gross watercourse of bundle services and autonomy.

“At the aforesaid time, we are incorporating adjacent much precocious operator assistance and information features into our medium-duty vehicles, which is thing our ample Fortune 500 customers person been asking for.”

Phantom AI was co-founded by erstwhile Tesla ADAS technologist Hyunggi Cho and erstwhile Hyundai autonomous-driving technologist Chan Kyu Lee.

Its astir 30 unit volition proceed operating from Mountain View, California.

The institution specialises successful Level 2 autonomy features, including automatic exigency braking and exigency lane support.

Level 2 autonomy, besides known arsenic partial automation, uses ADAS to negociate some steering and velocity power - handling acceleration and braking astatine the aforesaid time.

Harbinger said it plans to integrate Phantom AI’s bundle into its purpose-built electrical medium-duty conveyance platform.

The level already includes information features specified arsenic backup cameras with dynamic trajectory, virtual bumpers, and acoustic conveyance alerting systems.

Before the transaction, Harbinger’s vehicles were designed to stay purchase-cost competitory with combustion-engine alternatives portion lowering fleet operating expenses.

Phantom AI co-founder and CEO Hyunggi Cho added: “Thanks to this acquisition, we are capable to present a much comprehensive, technology-forward solution that includes robust ADAS capabilities and telematics to the medium-duty conveyance conception and beyond. While these features are already expected successful rider vehicles, medium-duty fleets person historically been underserved.”