2030 Ban on new Petrol and Diesel Cars

[phil4]

With the above announced today, and that being 9 years away... I wonder what the future holds for Ariel.

[Fastlane]

I was thinking the same, unless they get some sort of stay of execution due to being a small manufacturer?

The hipercar is a hybrid, so they will have to dump the engine and go full BEV, or scrap it altogether. Given the number of very high end electric cars being developed now by very well funded companies like Rimac and Tesla, and that this will only increase as the likes of Ferrari et al are forced to embrace BEVs, I am not sure Ariel could compete in this space without a wealthy partner.

The obvious solution would be to carry on building Atoms and Nomads and continue to partner with Honda to source electric motors from the future Honda Civic Type R, but perhaps combine it with a smaller battery from a future Honda E or look at structural batteries built into the chassis/frame. This will keep the weight down and provide an adequate range of say 100-150 miles. EV powertrain technology is moving very quickly and I would hope that a motor and battery pack in 9 years time will weigh not much more than a fully dressed K20 lump and gearbox now.

The question is, would an Ariel Atom or Nomad be too compromised without a combustion engine? That will be too much for some, but a new generation of owners, who are used to EVs, will hopefully still want an exciting, fun lightweight (electric) car...

[phil4]

There may be exceptions for smaller manufacturers, but that just kicks the can down the road a little, as even if they can, there'll be social pressures and difficulty/expense finding petrol.

That's the one thing we need to be careful of, writing off possibilities because of limitations now. Yes batteries now might be too heavy to work, but in 9 years time, it might be a different kettle of fish. Likewise charging speeds and locations. So yes, a 100-150 mile electric atom may well be far more workable by then.

On the hipercar, I think they're allowed plug in hybrids for another 5 years to 2035, but equally their competition will be traditional car manufacturers, and the hybridness of it will be less of a USP any more.

[phil4]

Here's some of what Ariel (and other similar manufacturers) have to say: https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/how- ... evolution/

Looks like they're going EV too.

[Preseh]

Certainly an interesting one. Imagine a 600bhp EV motor in an Atom I have a feeling that a lot of people would end up in the hedge outside the Ariel factory.

[John Scherrer]

Meanwhile, 14 years ago ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXqYbNE ... nsElectric

[Hedge]

Certainly an interesting one. Imagine a 600bhp EV motor in an Atom I have a feeling that a lot of people would end up in the hedge outside the Ariel factory

Certainly been done before. The record was set a good few years ago, for collection-of-new-car >>> stuffed-in-a-hedge, I think. Less than 2 miles, from memory. Total write off, too.

Cheers,
Hedge

[Preseh]

Certainly an interesting one. Imagine a 600bhp EV motor in an Atom I have a feeling that a lot of people would end up in the hedge outside the Ariel factory

Certainly been done before. The record was set a good few years ago, for collection-of-new-car >>> stuffed-in-a-hedge, I think. Less than 2 miles, from memory. Total write off, too.

Cheers,
Hedge

No way. That'd be absolutely heart breaking. Note to self: make sure the car is on low boost for the first few miles

[IanG]

Certainly an interesting one. Imagine a 600bhp EV motor in an Atom I have a feeling that a lot of people would end up in the hedge outside the Ariel factory

Certainly been done before. The record was set a good few years ago, for collection-of-new-car >>> stuffed-in-a-hedge, I think. Less than 2 miles, from memory. Total write off, too.

Cheers,
Hedge

No way. That'd be absolutely heart breaking. Note to self: make sure the car is on low boost for the first few miles

Found this in the old handbook

image.jpg (2.03 MiB) Viewed 1416 times

[Fastlane]

Certainly been done before. The record was set a good few years ago, for collection-of-new-car >>> stuffed-in-a-hedge, I think. Less than 2 miles, from memory. Total write off, too.

Cheers,
Hedge

And that was how Hedge got his user name...

[Hedge]

Dammit, rumbled.

Cheers,
Hedge