Ariel turns its thrilling Nomad 2 off-road buggy into an all-electric concept called the E-Nomad
Buyers might even get a roof if it makes production…
For people who want to batter through remote scenery in a vehicle, safe in the knowledge that they are causing the landscape and environment no more damage than the physical actions of the tyres on the ground, then small-volume, Somerset-based company Ariel can provide with this – the E-Nomad.
A concept car in name at the moment, the E-Nomad is an all-electric version of Ariel’s popular buggy, the Nomad 2 off-roader.
So, whereas the Nomad uses a 235bhp 2.4-litre Honda petrol engine to get around, the E-Nomad promises to be far kinder for air quality, thanks to its zero-emissions, 210kW (281bhp) electric motor.
A lightness of touch
Ariel says that thanks to recyclable bio-composite bodywork made from natural fibres, the construction of the car helps to keep the E-Nomad’s weight down to 896kg, which ultimately means it can match the regular Nomad’s 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds – despite the fact the electric version is around 180 kilos portlier.
The E-Nomad Concept is fitted with a 41kWh, 450-volt battery pack that allows for a theoretical one-shot driving range of around 150 miles; more than enough distance to get seriously lost in the wilderness, having a load of fun behind the wheel while you do so.
Although only touted as a concept car at this stage, the E-Nomad in the pictures looks remarkably production-ready.
It also has a less skeletal form than either the second-generation Nomad 2 on which it is based, or indeed the company’s most famous product, the Atom sports car – that’s the one which famously rearranged Clarkson’s face on Top Gear back in the day.
An 80 per cent charge in less than 25 minutes
Instead, the E-Nomad has more enclosed bodywork, but it still promises stripped-back thrills, thanks to the rear mounting of its electric motor and single-speed gearbox, as well as a whopping 362lb ft of torque (twisting force), which should see it through even the boggiest of terrain just as well as it can punch the car into a slide on a racetrack.
Ariel is proud that the lithium-ion battery pack for the E-Nomad weighs less than 300kg, while it is also capable of both AC and DC charging. The company says the car can be topped up with electricity at home on a domestic supply, or alternatively will go from 20-80 per cent state-of-charge in its power pack in less than 25 minutes on its fastest DC connection.
Further kit built into the E-Nomad includes a limited-slip differential on the rear axle, anti-lock brakes with driver-selectable on- and off-road modes as well as regenerative capabilities, two drive modes (Eco and Sport), and an AIM Technologies TFT instrumentation pack which shows key data, including the battery’s charge.
And while diehard Ariel fans might lament that bodywork, made as it is from flax fibres and reinforced on the inside of the panels by something called “Power Ribs” to give the E-Nomad more structural rigidity, it nevertheless makes the electric buggy 30 per cent more aerodynamically efficient than the Nomad 2 on which it is based.
Will the E-Nomad go on sale?
Ariel developed the E-Nomad with partners Rockfort Engineering (for the battery and electric gear) and Bamd Composites (bodywork) and will display the concept car at the low-carbon convention called Cenex Expo 2024, held at Millbrook on September 4.
At this stage, there are no concrete plans to put the E-Nomad into production, but Simon Saunders, Ariel’s director, suggested the greenlight for the project might not be too far away, as he said: “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, gruelling testing regime, we could opt to add E-Nomad alongside its internal-combustion-engine Nomad 2 sibling, so we’ll take great interest in customer feedback on the concept car.”
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