The Ariel Nomad has been given a conservative redesign on the outside, but the new concept has plenty going on underneath
Ariel is not a name that appears all that frequently in car design circles these days, but a new concept could change things. It is not entirely new, admittedly, as it is a fully electric take on the Nomad all-terrain stormer. It is a little different to the track-thrashing Atom and more of an open frame rally car, if you will.
Visually, the E-Nomad concept is very similar to the original with a rear-mounted powertrain, exposed suspension and subframe, and almost insect-like headlights. A spare wheel is mounted to the roof like usual, and there is space for two occupants: a driver and a willing/brave passenger.
The E-Nomad does appear a little more closed off, with less visible framing and instead some more conventional surfacing around the bonnet, arches and roof. Packaging looks to be exceptionally tight, with passengers effectively using the upright battery pack as a backrest.
A common and justified criticicsm of electric vehicles is the additional weight that comes from those battery packs, but given its compact footprint, the E-Nomad still keeps things lithe at just 896kg.
This is partly due to the natural flax fibre bio-composite bodywork, which Ariel says is recyclable, but also the relative lightness of the 41kWh pack itself, which nudges the scales at just 300kg. We say just… A BMW S85 V10 is about 240kg, for context, but it’s not an apples to apples comparison of course.
Performance-wise, 0-60mph comes in 3.4 seconds with an electric range range of up to 150 miles – not far off what we achieved in the top-spec Caterham Seven 620S recently.
The E-Nomad concept is due to make its public debut on 4 September at the Cenex Expo – a “low carbon vehicle and connected automated mobility” festival – and the company says it “will monitor consumer reaction” as to whether it makes it beyond the prototype stage.
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