AMD 258 January 2021 American Motorcycle Dealer 258 Jan 2021 | Page 22

Volcon - Two and Four-Wheeled Vehicles in Development

" Grunt ", Volcon ' s first electrified off-road vehicle
Austin , Texas based Volcon Inc . is a new and , it claims , " the first allelectric , off-road powersports company that has an initial line-up of two and four-wheeled electric , offroad adventure and utility vehicles in development ." With the focus on " providing fun , family off-road adventures , backcountry sportsman exploration and practical utility ," the company is headed up by former motorcycle racer , Bonnier motorcycle media executive and three-term industry-elected MIC board member Andy Leisner as CEO . Leisner says that Volcon ' s first twowheeled model is scheduled for customer deliveries in Spring 2021 and that this is slated to be followed by two and four-seat " side-by-side " sport and utility offerings - all to be made in the greater Austin , Texas area . " Volcon was quickly funded with an oversubscribed seed round , confirming the enthusiasm for the category ," said Leisner . " Having grown up riding with my father and continuing that tradition on motorcycles and UTVs with my daughters , I am excited to help lead the evolution of the powersports industry with electric vehicles that enhance the outdoor experience while reducing our environmental footprint for future generations . " Thanks to companies like Tesla , the electrification of the powersports industry is no longer a question of if , but when , and Volcon is positioning itself to play a substantial role in this rapidly changing environment ." Bruce Riggs , who has held executive quality and operational roles at several global technology brands - including
Andy Leisner , CEO
Dell , Compaq , Quanta , Gateway and Compal Electronics - has been appointed COO . Most recently Riggs was Chief Operations and Quality Officer at NASDAQ listed EV manufacturer Ayro . The company ' s first electrified off-road vehicle will be named the " Grunt " and will be an " easy-to-ride two-wheeled , all-terrain off-road motorcycle designed for exploring the outdoors and serve as a nimble utility vehicle or for off-road family fun ." It is claimed that it will recharge in just two hours from any household outlet , with a hot-swappable battery pack and 100-mile range . Pricing is stated to start at $ 5,995 ( MSRP ). The four-wheeled Stag and Beast models will follow in late 2021 into 2022 , and will range from " practical , low-maintenance utility vehicles to off-road sport UTVs that rival the best of the currently available gas models ." Leisner said : " The electric nature of Volcon makes the vehicles easy to operate and reliable , with almost no regular maintenance required . More family-oriented models are slated to be announced soon and , like all Volcon products , their nature will allow new consumers to enjoy the world of powersports . " All Volcon vehicles will be manufactured in the U . S . A . Product development is currently underway at a temporary production facility in Round Rock , Texas . Volcon is sourcing a permanent home in the greater Austin area , joining many major electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla , Ayro and Hyliion in what is

Harley Goes Into The Energy Business

Harley-Davidson has partnered with We Energies to fit some 8,400 solar panels on the roof of their Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations facility at Menomonee Falls , Wisconsin , with the project going live in November . The project , which is part of We Energies ' innovative Solar Now program , is the largest single rooftop solar panel system in Wisconsin - the panels can produce 2.25 megawatts , enough energy to power more than 400 homes . " Reducing emissions is essential
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to building a bright , sustainable future ," said Tom Metcalfe , president We Energies . " Projects like this provide clean , renewable energy and are an important part of our commitment to make our electric generation fleet net carbon neutral by 2050 . We are
becoming the electric vehicle capital of the world . " The complex will contain the company headquarters , research and development facilities , manufacturing lines , testing grounds and a customer experience center . Volcon ' s retail network will include a mixture of traditional and non-traditional distribution channels , comprising powersports dealers , outdoor retailers and direct-to-consumer options ." www . volcon . com
proud to work with Harley- Davidson on this historic project ." Under the program , We Energies partners with large businesses , non-profit and government customers to host solar panels and leases space for the panels on roofs and unused land . The clean energy that is produced serves all customers . So far the pilot program has completed or has projects under construction totaling more than 15 megawatts - enough energy to power more than three thousand homes . SunVest , a Wisconsin-based company , was the general contractor .
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