Audi has unveiled a range of ‘Sphere’ electric concepts in recent years, and its latest, dubbed the Activesphere, is a stunning follow-up to the equally impressive Skysphere roadster of 2021, and both the Grandsphere sedan and Urbansphere of 2022.

The four-door crossover coupe is a luxury off-roader, and it looks like it, with huge 22-inch wheels with active aerodynamic features, large wheel arches, short overhangs, some hefty-looking protection around the sills and bumpers, and plenty of ground clearance.

Audi says practicality for those off-road missions has been built into the Activesphere’s design, with the rear door lowering flat to become a cargo bed of sorts, allowing for all manner of oversize items – e-bikes, for example – to be carried.

The Activesphere’s front doors are hinged at the A pillar, and its rear passenger doors at the C pillar. There is no B-pillar, so the entire interior space opens up for passengers to gain easy access to the minimalist, futuristic, four-seat interior.

That interior offers up some fancy tech. Particularly fascinating is the mixed reality concept, where occupants can use mixed reality headsets to interact with digital features – in which features and functions can be accessed through augmented reality rather than physical displays and screens. Pretty amazing stuff.

There is autonomous driving capability, Audi says, and when in autonomous driving mode, the steering and pedals, and dashboard too, retract out of the way.

Audi says the Activesphere is built on the Premium Platform Electric – or PPE platform. That platform, being developed in conjunction with Porsche, is designed exclusively for battery-electric drive systems and the company says its first production vehicles based on the platform can be expected before the end of this year.

The key element of the future PPE fleet is a battery module between the axles.

In the Activesphere concept, that battery is a whopping 100kWh pack. That, Audi says, means a range of up to 600km.

There’s more to this than just being able to travel a fair distance, of course. Electric motors on the front and rear axles – that also help deliver electronically controlled quattro all-wheel drive – pack a punch, delivering 325kW and 720Nm. The front and rear wheels are connected via a five-link axle and the Activesphere also features adaptive air suspension with adaptive dampers.

PPE offers 800-volt charging technology and Audi says the battery on the Activesphere can be charged with up to 270kW at fast-charging stations – a set-up that means 300km of range can be added in about 10 minutes. In less than 25 minutes, the 100kWh battery can be charged from 5 to 80 per cent.

As with most concepts, the Activesphere is not likely to make it into production, but some functions and features might make it to road-going models. Let’s hope so.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (Mar 2023)

14 March 2023