A lightweight, go-anywhere EV? Ariel reveals E-Nomad concept.

Enlarge / There’s a reason the Ariel Nomad works so well in open-world games like Forza Horizon. Now Ariel has developed an electric version. (credit: Ariel)

The low-volume British carmaker Ariel got its start with a reimagining of the iconic Lotus Seven, gaining something of a reputation for building the car that filled Jeremy Clarkson’s epiglottis full of bees on Top Gear, back when that was the most-torrented TV show on the Internet. Then it expanded its lineup with the Nomad, which added off-road ground ability to the mix, creating a car that starred on The Grand Tour as well as in the last few iterations of Forza Horizon. Today, Ariel unveiled its idea for an all-electric take on that go-anywhere car with the E-Nomad.

Ariel says the E-Nomad can match the more than respectable acceleration of its gas-powered car, which means 0–60 mph (98 km/h) in 3.4 seconds despite wearing nobbly all-terrain tires. But rapidly accelerating electric vehicles aren’t anything special. What does stand out is the E-Nomad’s relative lack of mass—it tips the scales at just 1,975 lbs (896 kg), less than half as much as most of the EVs on sale today.

The E-Nomad’s 41 kWh battery pack lives behind the cabin, replacing the internal combustion engine and fuel tank you’d find on the regular car. Ariel sourced it from Rockfort Engineering and says the pouch cells offer “best-in-class energy density.” In total, the battery pack weighs less than 660 lbs (300 kg) and can send up to 281 hp (210 kW) to the drive unit at the rear. The drive has a peak torque output of 361 lb-ft (490 Nm) and is optimized for mass, weighing 202 lbs (92 kg).