Merchants Fleet hired Hari Nayar as its new director of electrification and sustainability, where he will  be focused on providing fleet clients with the tools and insights to make a seamless and cost-effective entry into the electric vehicle market as part of the company’s commitment to its fleet electrification initiative.

“Hari is an innovative thinker with tenured expertise in electrification strategy and product development for fleet operations” said Brad Jacobs, VP of fleet consulting. “Hari’s superior track record of working with major automotive battery manufacturers and government bodies makes him an invaluable addition to the Merchants Fleet team, as we lean into the new year with fleet electrification at the forefront.”  

Nayar is an experienced engineer, having led development teams for the U.S. Army Land Warrior program, GM OnStar program, Harris Falcon radio battery & charger development, UK Ministry of Defense and CERDEC integrated fuel cell systems development programs, according to Merchants. Most recently, Nayar was vice president of engineering at XL Fleet, where he successfully led the engineering organization in developing the first ever plug-in hybrid F-150 pick-up truck, propulsion batteries for HEV and PHEV applications, kits for hybrid, plug-in hybrid upfits for commercial fleet vehicles in addition to leading development of connected vehicle data processing infrastructure.    

Nayar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics and Communications from the University of Kerala, India, as well as a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University. He is based in Burlington, Mass.