Electric Vehicles

Audi Activesphere concept luxury coupé converts into a pickup

Written by Kanad Kalasur

Audi has showcased the Activesphere concept vehicle. The luxury coupe’s party trick is conversion from a coupe to a pickup truck. The Audi Activesphere concept is based on the German carmaker’s modular premium Platform Electric (PPE) that will have next-gen self-driving capabilities. It will also spawn future shape shifting vehicles as well.

Audi Activesphere : More Details

The car is a combination of a sportback sedan and a high ground clearance all-wheel drive vehicle. The driver can make this sportback vehicle into an ‘active back’ at the push of a button. This opens up a small pickup style tailgate revealing a small bed. According to Audi, the bed can accommodate two ebikes as well as carry objects like golf bags, water skis or winter gear for a trip to the mountains. Even the roof features an integrated retractable ski rack.

Off-road prowess of the Audi Activesphere concept

The car rides on adaptive air suspension that the raise or lower as per need. Further Audi has equipped the car with large 22-inch rims shod in 285/50-section tyres. At the highest setting, the car has 248 mm of ground clearance while on the highway, the driver can reduce it to the default 208 mm.

Powertrain of the Audi Activesphere concept

The Activesphere comes with a Quattro all-wheel drive system. It get one motor on each axle with a combined output of 436 HP and 730 Nm of torque. This is sufficient to propel the car from a standstill to the ton in just 4.9 seconds.

The car is equipped with a 100 kWh battery which is housed inside the cars 2.970 mm wheelbase. This gives the car a flat floor as well as a good center of gravity. Audi says that the car should do over 600 km on a single charge. The car is designed for 800V charging systems but it is not yet mass market. This will enable a 300 km range top-up in just 10 mins, while a 25 min charge will be able to top up the battery from 5 percent to 80 percent.

Also Read – Audi Q8 e-tron range increased, design sharpened.