Volcon Inc. (Volcon), which calls itself the first all-electric, off-road powersports company, announced that it will power all of its off-road utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) with General Motors’ (GM) electric propulsion systems, including Volcon’s flagship UTV, the Volcon Stag. The Stag was revealed to the public on July 1, 2022. Future models, including future versions of the Stag, as well as the Volcon’s planned “Project X” vehicle, will be designed and developed to use GM’s electric propulsion systems. Volcon will be the first, and currently only off-road powersports company to offer their full line of vehicles with GM’s electric propulsion.
In pursuit of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion, GM said that it aspires to eliminate tailpipe emissions from its light-duty vehicles by 2035 on the way to carbon neutrality in its global products and operations by 2040. Volcon said that it is dedicated to improving off-road vehicle performance and sustainability, which it believes will blend enjoyment and performance. “GM has transformed from an automaker to a platform innovator, with scalable architectures designed to accelerate electric vehicle [EV] adoption across different industries and product types,” said Travis Hester, GM vice president of EV Growth Operations. “Our work with Volcon is indicative of our plans and demonstrates the flexibility of the platform as well as potential applications well beyond traditional vehicles.”
Since inception, Volcon’s mission has been to electrify the off-road powersports industry by pioneering EV products that enable people to connect with the outdoors. Although the Volcon Stag hasn’t been kept a secret, Volcon recently began sharing more finalized details of the all-electric UTV, which will come to market in 2023. The Stag, which Volcon expects to be the first of many trim levels available, could become a category-leading, high-performance off-road vehicle. The Stag will feature new technologies which the company believes will provide a unique and thrilling off-road experience that isn’t currently available in the market today.
In addition to battery cell modules, the Stag will use a number of supporting components from GM. Volcon wants to give the Stag a unique driving experience that combines performance and excitement, innovative connectivity, and flexible utility that make the vehicle ideally suited for adventure and work.
The GM propulsion system will provide instant high power and torque, with all wheel drive (AWD) capabilities, enabling the Stag to have acceleration and speed recovery in a variety of terrains. Variable driving modes will allow the driver to adjust the power delivery to optimize performance or range according to the needs, while the cockpit will provide a human-machine interface (HMI), including multiple displays, and the capability to generate content and connectivity via the Volcon App.
“Bringing GM’s EV expertise and systems to the Stag will produce an off-road experience that could set the standard for the entire industry,” said Christian Okonsky, CTO of Volcon ePowersports. “Having access to immediate power and torque along with the customizable digital integrations that the Stag will offer, creates the perfect balance for a UTV. Everyone at Volcon has worked so hard to bring the best possible UTV to market and our alignment with GM could not be a better fit for making this project become a reality. We save an enormous amount of research and development [R&D] expense and gain years of drivetrain testing and validation by joining forces with GM. In essence, we significantly reduce our time and cost to get to market.”
Volcon also continues to explore and develop racing opportunities with the Stag. Volcon Technology Innovation Group (VTIG) has invested substantial efforts toward developing an off-road race UTV which it expects to raise the bar in off-road racing with the help of GM EV technology.
