It is in this segment where a company called Volcon is playing. On the market for about four years now, the crew is in the business of making both motorcycles and side-by-sides, all of them powered by electricity.
Volcon's latest product announcement is something called the HF1. The vehicle is described as a utility task vehicle (UTV) that is ideal for use in off-roading, commercial operations, agriculture, eco-tourism, ranch work, you name it.
We've known this thing is coming for a while now, but we were expecting it not to arrive before the first quarter of next year. Somehow, Volcon managed to press the accelerator hard and announced on Monday that the first production run of the HF1, comprising a total of 27 units, will ship from the factory as soon as this week.
So, what is the HF1? The first thing I need to mention is that Volcon released absolutely no high quality photo of the thing (the vehicle pictured in the gallery, for illustration purposes, is the Stag side-by-side), so don't expect to truly experience it visually for now.
We're talking about a three-person single-row vehicle powered by an electric drivetrain. And not just any electric drivetrain, but one that makes the HF the "fastest accelerating vehicle in the Utility Single-Cab Electric UTV class."
We don't know exactly what that means, given how Volcon did not provide us with any numbers to back up that claim. We do know a thing or two, however, about the thing's electric powertrain. It comprises a 17.5 kWh battery system and an undisclosed number of electric motors.
The HF1 is capable of reaching top speeds of 60 mph (97 kph), and the battery is enough to ensure a range of 60 miles. It takes 11 hours to recharge the thing from a Level 1 station, and seven hours when using a Level 2 one.
The vehicle comes with on-demand two- or four-wheel drive, an "advanced suspension system," and 11 inches of ground clearance. It is equipped from the factory, at least in this initial configuration, with a winch capable of pulling as much as 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) of weight.
The Spartan interior of the UTV is equipped with a 13-inch LCD display that shows images from a backup camera, Bluetooth compatibility, and a four-speaker sound system.
Volcon does not say how much the HF1 is expected to cost, and its configurator does not yet list the model. Expect to see the UTV on Los Angeles dealers' lots at the start of November, and globally later on.
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