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A CLOSER LOOK AT A VOLCON STAG SXS
Volcon held a press event in June in Cedar Creek , Texas , to allow journalists to test drive its new Stag UTV . Co-founder and CTO , Christian Okonsky , took part in a Q & A session detailing how the manufacturer has been able to produce the electric Stag through collaborations with strategic partners such as General Motors , BF Goodrich , Elka Suspension and Hayes Performance Systems .
OEMs don ’ t often invite media and key stakeholders to drive prototype vehicles , but Volcon decided it was time to get some of the key players into the seat of the electric-powered UTV . We don ’ t often test or report on prototype vehicles , which can be hand-crafted to perform better at scheduled events . We did get a closer look into the development of this unique vehicle , however , and we want to report on that .
“ We know it ’ s unprecedented to allow such an inside look into non-production vehicles , a risk most companies would not dream of taking . We have been testing , developing , and refining the Stag for months , and we are confident in its ability to change the UTV landscape ,” says CEO Jordan Davis .
“ We have tested , broken , fixed , broken again , and redeveloped many of the Stag ’ s components throughout this entire process , leading to us upgrading many of the key suspension and drivetrain components to an automotive grade level . Traditional off-road components cannot handle the torque that the Stag has ,” says Okonsky .
Okonsky says that Volcon was originally going to partner with a Chinese battery company that had partnered with BMW and Mercedes . “ We started down the path with a company called CATL , one of China ’ s leading battery companies . They ’ re very well known in that space , but that would mean we would have to do all the rest of the pieces ourselves . We would have to do the inverters on the motors , the controllers , and all those other pieces that exist in high voltage . We knew that was going to be a challenge .”
The Volcon team met somebody who had a relationship with GM , which led to a new direction . “ Jordan ( CEO ) and I were in the room and told this contact that we would love to meet with GM and have that relationship . In business , you hear people say this all the time . ‘ Oh , I know this guy ...’ So Jordan and I said , ‘ call your guy at GM right now .’”
The contact they reached out to was at GM Powered Solutions , which helped develop the powertrain for the Chevy Bolt and other GM EVs . At the time , GM Powered Solutions was working with Textron , parent company of Jacobsen , Cushman , Arctic Cat , and other brands . But Okonsky says GM was looking to expand , so it was a case of being in the right place at the right time . GM had already invested $ 30 billion to design and research their electric powertrains and was looking to offset some of the cost with strategic partners .
Volcon started the development in January to create the prototype of the Stag . “ It wasn ’ t until nine months into the project before we needed to work with GM to use their system ,” Okonsky explains . “ It was one of those things . It was a big risk on our end .”
According to Okonsky , they realized very quickly , with the power of the motor , that they had to redesign everything . “ Our knuckles had to be redesigned brand new for us , and the whole suspension system is ours now . The GM motor produces 265-foot pounds of torque compared to the closest gas-powered competitor that produces 142-ft . lbs .”
The test drive event was held at the Rally Ready driving school and racetrack in Bastrop , Texas . “ The Stag had me grinning from ear to ear just thinking about running through the woods in the White Mountains , stalking elk . It was a blast ripping around the rally cross track we got to test it on – smooth acceleration , and it turns where you pointed
32 OPE Business July 2023 www . OPEBusiness . com