The Ariel E-Nomad Is Here to Teach the Cybertruck About Electric Off-Roading

Some people say EVs are nothing more than toys. What they’re inadvertently saying is that EVs are built for fun, as cars like the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally certainly are. But an even more dedicated all-terrain EV has just dropped from everyone’s favorite lightweight British performance car company. Not porky new Lotus, but Ariel, whose E-Nomad concept can teach the Tesla Cybertruck a thing or two about how electric off-roaders are really built.

The E-Nomad is made from Ariel’s newly updated Nomad 2, and features an electric drivetrain in place of the regular version’s combustion engine. At its center is a small, 41 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, which cuts weight along with organic composite bodywork. It’s fully recyclable, but more importantly to enthusiasts, a good nine percent lighter than carbon fiber. That results in a curb weight of just 1,975 pounds, meaning any half-decent amount of power will make the E-Nomad lively, to say the least.

It’s got that box checked too, with a single-speed, LSD-equipped rear drive unit making 281 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque. It’s good for zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds—that’s without doors, mind you. With a redesigned body producing 30 percent less drag than its ICE counterpart, the E-Nomad also has an estimated range of 150 miles. Because it’s equipped with a full battery management system, it’s also capable of CCS fast-charging from 20 to 80 percent in 25 minutes.

Naturally, it also has all the accoutrements you expect of a modern, boutique performance EV. It has regenerative braking, a one-pedal mode, and both Eco and Sport driving modes. The controls are reprogrammable to give the exact response the driver wants, too. Off-road goods from the regular Nomad carry over as well, like its roof-mounted full-size spare, and what looks like similar ground clearance. On the ICE Nomad 2, that’s about a whole foot.

Though the E-Nomad is officially just a concept, Ariel is forward about its intent to build and sell production versions.

“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,” said Ariel’s director Simon Saunders. “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.”    

So, you can mentally scratch out “concept” in your head, because it sounds like these are bound for production. The only questions remaining are how big of a jump you’re willing to take it off, and where. I’m looking up the nearest dunes as you read this—and how close to them I can charge up.

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