Ariel E-Nomad revealed, and it stays light and fast

The basis for all of Ariel's cars is to make them light and fast. While going fast isn't a problem for electric vehicles, being light can be a struggle. But with the Ariel E-Nomad concept, the company seems to have converted its little off-roader to electron power while preserving the featherweight character and high performance.

That's not to say the E-Nomad hasn't gained weight over its gas-powered counterpart. The E-Nomad weighs about 400 pounds more, but curb weight still comes in under a ton at 1,975 pounds. It uses a liquid-cooled Borg Warner motor that makes 281 horsepower, around an extra 20 over the base Nomad 2's Ford engine, and about 80 more pound-feet of torque at 361. It's part of a motor and gearbox package from Cascadia Motion that weighs 203 pounds altogether. With the extra power over the base Nomad 2, the E-Nomad gets to 60 mph just as fast as the Nomad 2 in 3.4 seconds. 

Powering the E-Nomad is a battery pack developed by Rockfort Engineering. It's a 450-volt pack with 41-kWh of capacity, and has its own heating and cooling system to maintain battery performance and longevity. It weighs 661 pounds, and it all sits behind the driver and passenger. Ariel claims a respectable range of 150 miles and can recharge from 20% to 80% state of charge in 25 minutes thanks to its DC fast charging system. 

Assisting with the E-Nomad's range are a set of body panels not included on the Nomad 2. These are made from flax fibers and were developed by Bamd Composites. Ariel says these panels weigh 9% less than equivalent carbon fiber panels, but are manufactured with 73% fewer carbon dioxide emissions. Plus they're recyclable. But with respect to range, the panels reduce drag by an impressive 30% over a Nomad 2.

The only part of the E-Nomad that's a bit disappointing is that it's just a concept right now. Ariel says it will be gauging the reaction to the car to decide whether to put an E-Nomad into production. We love the idea, and hope the reaction is good so we can maybe get a spin.