Take a lightweight open-wheel race car, make it street-legal, add some bio-composite body panels and a powerful electric drivetrain and what you get is the Ariel E-Nomad. Its based on Ariels recently launched Nomad 2 vehicle but has been optimized as an EV.

　　Ariel Motor Company is a low-volume vehicle maker from the UK. It offers road, track, and off-road-focused vehicles. All of its vehicles are driver-focused fun machines. Its latest creation, the Ariel E-Nomad, is its first 4-wheel EV — it already offers the Arial Dash e-bike.

　　“While the E-Nomad is a concept, it does show production intent for the vehicle and hints at just a small part of Ariel’s future. Once it has been through our usual, grueling testing regime we could opt to add E-Nomad alongside its ICE Nomad 2 sibling, so we’ll take great interest in customer feedback on the concept car, said Simon Saunders, Ariel Director.

　　Ariel E-Nomad Concept

　　(Photo/Ariel) While just a concept, the E-Nomad has obvious production intent. It is a rear-wheel drive (RWD), electric off-road sports car that can travel up to 150 miles on a single charge.

　　It has 277 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque on tap to move its 1,975-pound curb weight. That means it can sprint to 60 mph from a standstill in just 3.4 seconds while also delivering near-instant gobs of torque to conquer challenging terrain and rally stages.

　　Electric Powered Ariel Nomad

　　(Photo/Ariel) The Ariel E-Nomad concept is powered by a Cascadia Motion IDM90 combined motor, gearbox, and DX inverter drive unit, which weighs only 203 pounds. In this drive unit is a single-speed transmission attached to a Borg Warner eDM motor that can spin to 12,000 rpm.

　　A 41kWh 450-volt battery, made up of 12 Pegasus V3 modules — with high-energy lithium-ion pouch cell in them —, helps enable the 150-mile range of the E-Nomad. The battery pack is located behind the passenger bulkhead and weighs less than 661 pounds.

　　On a level 2 fast charger the E-Nomad takes less than 25 minutes to charge from 20% 80%.

　　Bio-Composite Body

　　(Photo/Ariel) Ariel vehicles dont usually have much in the way of bodywork, but the E-Nomad is different, and for good reason. The Bodywork allows the 30% reduction in drag over the gas-powered Nomad. This aerodynamic advantage helps provide driving range and gives the E-Nomad a unique look.

　　A super cool feature of the E-Nomad is the bio-composite material used for the bodywork. Ariel says the Flax fiber bio-composite body panels are 9% lighter than carbon fiber and save 73% CO2. The bodywork panels are reinforced with Power Ribs made of the same prepreg flax fiber composite material.

　　Tech

　　(Photo/Ariel) As with all EVs, the E-Nomad has a ton of cool tech baked into its DNA. It has a regenerative braking system and even a one-pedal drive feature. It also has ABS, which is driver-selectable for on- and off-road driving applications.

　　Two drive modes are on offer. Sport for when you want all the power. ECO for when you need range and smooth non-violent power divery.

　　Not Available, Yet!

　　(Photo/Ariel) On September 4th, the Arial E-Nomad concept will make its public debut at the Cenex Expo 2024 in the UK.

　　While still a concept, and not for sale, this electrified version of the already legendary Ariel Atom is very likely to see production at some point in the not-so-distant future.

　　Ariel says it will test the prototype extensively to explore the full spectrum of potential future applications. I read that as they will hoon this fun machine as much as they can to make it even better for when it reaches production. Hopefully, Im right!

　　Off-Road Exoskeleton: Ariel Motor Launches Nomad 2A stronger chassis, more powerful engine, and a new interior. The Ariel Nomad 2 has been completely reworked. Read more