With the goal of creating vehicles that enhance the outdoor experience, while reducing their environmental footprint, Volcon, the first all-electric off-road vehicle company, joined the powersports industry in 2020. Established by two Austin, Texas-area entrepreneurs, who had a very successful history with startups and were motorcycle enthusiasts themselves, they saw a need to introduce a brand into the market that exclusively made electric vehicles for the off-road space.

“The world is migrating towards electric transportation,” Volcon CEO Andrew Leisner said. “Through their work with electric vehicles in the past, Volcon’s founders noticed that electric is far better suited for riding off-road. An electric motorcycle riding down the highway at a steady 75 mph is challenged by range, wind resistance and drag. In recreational, off-road use, riders are on and off the throttle between 15 to 35 mph and you don’t have a lot of high-speed wind resistance, which gives our batteries a lot of range in an off-road environment.”

Volcon motorcycle batteries have a charging time of about two hours, which means riders have more time to spend on the vehicle, enjoying the great outdoors.

“Our motorcycles charge very quickly, and our UTVs charge best overnight,” Leisner said. “Our first vehicles charge in a typical wall outlet, but our UTVs have Level 2 capabilities to charge as well. We do have some solar charging options, so if you’re out camping or off the grid, you’ll have the ability to recharge when you’re not riding.”

Volcon currently has their first vehicle, the Grunt, available for pre-order.

The company’s first motorcycle, named the Grunt, is an easy-to-ride, two-wheeled, all-terrain, off-road vehicle. Weighing in at under 200-lbs., the Grunt features three ride modes, 75 ft.-lbs. of torque, a maximum speed of 60 mph, navigating from 0 to 60 mph in 6 seconds flat, with 100-mile battery range. The Grunt also comes with a swappable battery, offering a convenient and quick way to go the extra mile.

“The motorcycle is purposefully designed with a low seat height and oversized tires that help the vehicle float over mud,” Leisner explained. “The Grunt is extremely stable, durable and easy to ride. It doesn’t have a clutch or gearbox, so ease of use is a huge selling factor for new riders.”

The four-wheeled Stag and Beast models range from practical, low-maintenance utility vehicles to off-road, sport UTVs. Volcon is partnering with Camburg Engineering to develop Fox Racing Shox-equipped suspension systems for the company’s side-by-side vehicles.

The Stag offers 300 ft.-lbs. of torque, a maximum speed of 70 mph, traveling from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds, on a 150-mile battery range. The Beast has 600 ft.-lbs. of torque, a maximum speed of 80 mph and surpasses 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds on a 150-mile battery range.

All Volcon vehicles, are IP67-rated and are fully waterproof. Riders don’t need to worry about pressure washing or stalling out crossing deep rivers or streams — the vehicles can actually be ridden underwater.

Because of the electric nature of Volcon, these vehicles are easy to operate and reliable, with almost no regular maintenance required.

“Our vehicles are basic and fun off-road vehicles,” Leisner said. “They aren’t complicated. I think the biggest thing for consumers is how easy they are to ride. Matter of fact, we forecast our sales being 70% non-motorcyclists and only 30% to existing powersports enthusiasts.”

The Grunt is set for release in Spring of 2021, with the Stag and Beast launching in late 2021 into 2022.

“When the news got out about our vehicles, the first response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Leisner added.

All Volcon vehicles will be manufactured in the USA at their new facility near Austin, Texas.

“We acquired a 53-acre piece of land in Liberty Hill, Texas, which is about 25 miles North and a little West of downtown Austin,” Leisner said. “It is a beautiful piece of land. The property is filled with Cedar and Oak trees and has a creek running across the back of it. We’ve built this really fun trail network through the property, but the property will ultimately hold our factory where we’ll build all Volcon units.”

In addition to the factory-headquarter facilities and proving grounds on the property’s trail network, future plans also include a customer experience center, off-road demo testing track, as well as an RV, zipline and camping site for Volcon clients to experience the Volcon lifestyle first-hand.

“At our customer experience center, potential or current Volcon customers can come see the vehicles being built and demo the vehicles to experience our fun, family-friendly off-road lifestyle,” Leisner added. “My favorite memories are riding motorcycles with my dad, and most recently, riding motorcycles with my daughters. It’s really rewarding to be able to create a product to enhance those experiences for other people.”

For more information about Volcon, visit volcon.com.