With only two prototypes to test drive , this one was near production ready with complete interior finishes and bodywork . The other prototype was a test mule without any bodywork , which is the one we drove . |
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in high voltage . We knew that was going to be a challenge .”
As luck would have it , the Volcon team met somebody who ha a relationship with GM , which led to a new direction . “ Jordon ( 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 Bolt and other EUVs for GM . At the time , GM Powered Solutions was only working with Textron , which was public information . But
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Volcon partnered with GM Powered Solutions to power the Stag to “ staggering ” performance levels . The instant torque is insane , and a reason the engineers redesigned some components . |
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 . “ We said we ' re interested , and what would ' ve been the hardest challenge became so much easier ,” Okonsky recalls .
While most OEMs don ' t invite media and key stakeholders to drive their prototypes , the Stag differed from the average UTV . With all of the pieces and development that went into getting the Stag to near production-ready , the team at Volcon decided it was a good time to get some of the key players into the seat of the electricpowered UTV . As Volcon ' s channel marketing director , Dave McMahon ( whom you probably remember from his days at the helm of PSB ), and Okonsky finished up the Q & A portion of the event on day one ; we got to see some of the early sketches of the Stag and how it was developed into what it is now .
“ We had all these pieces with the chassis , suspension , high voltage , low voltage , and you have to factor that in to come up with the product ' s industrial design ,” says Okonsky . “ We felt we checked the box on what it was supposed to do , and we were working with GM , but they move more like an elephant with slow , steady steps . We ' re a young company and need to move more like a Cheetah . We agreed to go ahead and start developing with the GM drivetrain .”
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 , clearly ”
There was such a high amount of torque from the electric powertrain that the original concept needed to be tweaked to handle the power . Volcon worked with a noted Baja off-road chassis designer and then got some
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The Stag electric UTV is a beast in person . It ’ s tall and long and almost the size of a small truck . The suspension is all-automotive grade as well , so it can better handle the 265-ft . lbs of torque from the electric motor .
of the suspension components from other UTVs that existed in the market to use as a starting point .
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 . It ' s no longer any design based on something else . It ' s 100 percent molded for us . We had to do that because we would break everything , otherwise . The GM motor produces 265−foot pounds of torque compared to the closest gas-powered competitor that produces 142−ft . lbs . We were exploding differentials . Once we fixed that , our axles would break , and it just continued . So we just had to redesign the whole system .”
For the test drive , the event was held at the Rally Ready driving school and racetrack in Bastrop , Texas . The Stag , as well as other Volcon products , were tested . VIPs could test drive the latest prototype of the Stag on three routes of the Rally Ready track so that drivers could push the all-electric SxS through its paces .
“ 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 it ,” says Bill Nash , owner of Nash Powersports , after his opportunity for a test drive .
“ The Demo Day was a chance for many to see the Stag for the first time , so extending
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this opportunity to our key media , dealers , and international distributors was very important as we want all of our partners and networks to understand the vision we ' ve been working on and experience the kind of machine we ' re dealing with ,” says Melissa Coffey , vice president of global Revenue and business development at Volcon . “ Having alignment before launch will help encourage and educate consumers from all over on the benefits of EV and the capabilities of the Stag ,” she adds .
“ 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 . It was time to show others what we have been seeing internally for months ,” says CEO Jordan Davis . “ We are thrilled with the performance of our vehicles and the unparalleled power they showed everyone who test-drove them .”
The company plans to share additional content with media , reservation holders , and the general public leading up to its official production launch later in Q3 . But if the final version of the Stag is anything like the prototype , there will be a new leader of the pack for UTVs , especially in tight areas where instant throttle and torque are important . With a top speed of 80 mph , it should be plenty fast for customers looking to get through the dirt in a hurry .
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