Volcon, Inc. has demonstrated its all-electric Stag UTV and EVO motorcycles to US Department of Defense staff under the funded Electric Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response (eTHOR) program, hosted by the NavalX SoCal Tech Bridge at Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA), in Camp Pendleton, CA.
This project was developed through the SoCal Tech Bridge’s ongoing relationship with Naval Information Warfare Center – Pacific (NIWC-PAC) to provide government evaluation and engagement with new technologies and with CANA LLC, serving as lead system integrator while providing modeling, simulation and analysis, and strategic stakeholder engagement.
Working with Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc., and other integrators, the purpose of the demonstration and assessment was to test eTHOR functionality within a variety of military vignettes.
Volcon demonstrated Level 3 fast charging, silent overwatch, night reconnaissance, and the ability to charge its EVO off-road motorcycle from a modified Stag UTV to exhibit power exporting capabilities.
Data gathered will be used for continued modeling, simulation, and analysis, creating digital environments that synthesize the results of innumerable types of experimentation. The demonstration and testing event supports validation that there is a real, tested, and expeditious transition path for commercial integrated electric vehicle technology into the military operating environment.
“Volcon is proud to not only help electrify the battlefield, but also increase the range of tools the DoD can access and at the expedited pace we see in the commercial space,” said Richard Tannery V.P. of Global Defense and Government Programs at Volcon. “We continue to show how capable we are to rapidly pivot toward the needs of our clients, which is instrumental for success in regards to search, rescue and defense operations. In less than a year we have sold several units to the US Army Corps of Engineers, answered multiple solicitations for electric vehicles, and now begin our journey into larger funded development programs to help advance future technologies by bridging commercial and government sectors.”
The eTHOR prototype, a project funded by the Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF), is an integrated, electric, unmanned mobile power station built by DD DANNAR LLC; coupled with Innovation, Connectivity & Experimentation (ICE), provides a high speed, high bandwidth, low latency, 5G capable platform developed by AWS.
eTHOR’s electric vehicle provides agility, traditional fuel independence, and the ability to store, transport and export power. Its communications capacities combine 5G, 4G LTE, SatCom, and mesh networking with secure cloud computing and forward edge processing.
Will Berry, of CANA LLC, who leads the project management and strategic partnership efforts, said: “The demonstration is a real validation of the vision, talents, and innovative efforts of the partners. It’s also a critical time to gather data for further testing and evaluation; we want to show how eTHOR can transform military operations in a tangible way. What’s exciting is that we’re not planning for some time in the future – eTHOR is here now.”
“The application of electrification doesn’t stop at civilian mobility. The benefits of EV technology are as applicable to the warfighter’s needs as they are to humanitarian relief efforts, especially considering technologies can be paired with our vehicles as a force multiplier in either scenario,” said Jordan Davis, Volcon Chief Executive Officer. “We believe the possibilities to support our military, as well as the NGO community with mobility solutions, is only beginning. Our work with AWS and others on the eTHOR program will serve as a proof of concept of what we believe will be continued expansion into these new sectors.”
Also present during the week of live, onsite, demonstrations were eTHOR stakeholders from across the US Marine Corps, and commercial integrators from Athonet, Digital Force Technologies, Moxion, and Renewable Equipment. This is one example of the many applications for which electric vehicles are being used to explore opportunities outside of conventional public sector operations and contracts, expanding their pallet of tools and allowing for more rapid procurement for situations when it matters most.
