The Frankfurt Motor show this year saw Audi debut a ground-breaking new vision for the future of all-electric cars with their ‘urban concept study’, shown in two forms – Sportback and Spyder.
The new cars represent a radical departure from anything you will have seen before; so much so that it is hard to tell what category an urban concept car would fall into as it combines elements of a small city car, a roadster and even a racing car.
Audi says that when it started developing the concept for this car it began with a question - question "How much car is necessary to deliver driving pleasure and urban mobility in an entirely new way?" and it seems that the answer to that question was 'not very much', because the Audi urban concept car weighs in at just 480kg. Apparently a model of a glider stayed in the studio throughout the process of development in order to inspire the team with an example of the most lightweight construction that is possible.
Following the stripped-back minimalist design there are no doors on this car. In order to gain entry you slide the canopy backwards and step over the edge of the vehicle and into the cabin, offering the option to leave the canopy open in warm weather for an open-air drive.
The cabin itself has two seats, with the right hand seat being offset slightly to the rear to allow for more elbow and shoulder room. Both the pedals and the exposed steering column can be adjusted to allow you to find the most comfortable driving position, and being at the wheel feels very much like sitting in the cabin of a racing car.
Exterior styling features highly distinctive large, open wheels which stand out from the chassis. With the typical Audi tornado line the urban concept has a strong shoulder, and a body in which all the lines seem to lead forward to the single-frame grille at the front which features the Audi four rings badge. The flanks of the body are flared outwards towards the bottom enlarging the floor, which serves to generate downforce when driving at high speeds and also charges the battery via induction.
The body is made from carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP), and the occupant cell is produced from a combination of CFRP monocoque and an aluminium structure.
The car is built with an elaborate suspension system to give it a sporty feel when driving, and has a small turning circle ideal for city driving. The lithium-ion battery, which is mounted behind the seats, has a driving cycle of 45 miles. It produces 15kW (20bhp) and 34.67lb-ft of torque. This gives the car a top speed of 62mph and allows for acceleration from 0-62mph in 16.9 seconds.
Audi is also developing an alternative to power outlet charging - Audi Wireless Charging (AWC) which uses contactless induction charging, meaning that you just drive on to the charging plate and the battery is charged automatically.
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