The foundation of all Ariel cars is to make them light and fast. While it’s no problem for electric vehicles to go fast, being light can be. But with the Ariel E-Nomad concept, the company seems to have converted its small SUV to electric power while retaining its featherweight character and high performance.

But that’s not to say the E-Nomad hasn’t gained weight over its gasoline-powered counterpart. The E-Nomad weighs about 400 pounds more, but curb weight is still under a ton at 1,975 pounds. It uses a liquid-cooled Borg Warner engine that makes 281 horsepower, about 20 more than the Ford engine in the base model Nomad 2, and about 80 pound-feet more torque at 361 horsepower. It’s part of a Cascadia Motion engine and transmission package that weighs a total of 203 pounds. With the extra power over the base model Nomad 2, the E-Nomad hits 60 mph just as quickly as the Nomad 2 in 3.4 seconds.

The E-Nomad is powered by a battery developed by Rockfort Engineering. It is a 450-volt battery with 41 kWh capacity and its own heating and cooling system to maintain performance and battery life. It weighs 300 kg and is housed behind the driver and passenger. Ariel promises an impressive range of 240 km and can charge from 20% to 80% in 25 minutes thanks to its DC fast charging system.

The E-Nomad’s range is aided by a number of body panels not found on the Nomad 2. These are made from flax fiber and were developed by Bamd Composites. Ariel says these parts weigh 9% less than comparable carbon fiber parts, but are manufactured with 73% fewer carbon dioxide emissions. Plus, they’re recyclable. But when it comes to range, the parts reduce drag by an impressive 30% compared to the Nomad 2.

The only thing that is a little disappointing about the E-Nomad is that it is just a concept at the moment. Ariel says they will wait and see the reaction to the car to decide if an E-Nomad will go into production. We love the idea and hope the reaction is good so we can maybe take it for a spin.