Watch this Audi concept EV transform from grand tourer to roadster

Audi has unveiled its Skysphere concept car and, boy, if that’s the future of EVs, I’m sold.
The Skysphere is a rear-wheel-drive, two-door electric convertible that can transform from a luxurious grand tourer to a sporty roadster.
Yes, it  transforms .
Credit: Audi It’s damn beautiful, isn’t it?
Thanks to its variable wheelbase,  the concept car’s entire front end can extend or contract. Specifically, it can change from a long-wheelbase, stable grand tourer to a 9.8-inch-shorter (24.8cm) and 0.4-inch-lower (1cm) driver-centric roadster. 
Credit: Audi How’s the Skysphere’s wheelbase is converted.
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During the grand tourer mode,  the steering wheel and pedals move into an invisible area, expanding the passenger room, and the car goes into self-driving mode with Level 4 autonomy. 
Credit: Audi What the interior looks like in the grand touring mode.
In the roadster mode, t he steering wheel and pedals come of the bulkhead, as the passenger seat moves rearward and the driver’s portion of the dash comes forward to serve as a control panel. 
The Skyshpere has been inspired by the   1931 Horch 853 , but unlike the classic, it has a 465kWh battery pack and can go from 0 to 62mph in just four seconds. 
Interestingly, it’s the first in a series of Audi concept cars that will follow, the Grandsphere and the Urbansphere — which we can expect to have similar or even more advanced features.
The Skypshere will make its public debut on its home turf in California, in August 13, 2021. It’s not certain if it will ever reach production, but a man can hope.
Watch the video above, to check out how the concept car was created.

Do EVs excite your electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up? 

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Story by

Ioanna Lykiardopoulou

Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili

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Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.

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Published August 11, 2021 – 11:31 am UTC

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