Car Wearing: Audi EV concept demonstrates variable wheelbase

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This week Volkswagen gives an early look at the ID.5 GTX, the BMW iX3 gets an update, and the Mustang Mach-E deals with the chip shortage. But first:

Audi Skysphere Concept Has a Variable Wheelbase.

It's Monterey car week, which has turned into an auto show of its own in the past couple of decades as a venue for concept car debuts, and in the days leading up to the main event Audi has taken the wraps off a very ambitious electric concept dubbed skysphere. The "main event" of this concept is perhaps something you didn't know you needed in a car until this week: a variable wheelbase, which permits the sleek concept to change its overall length from 194.5 inches to 204.3 inches.
"Electric motors and a sophisticated mechanism with body and frame components that slide into one another make it possible," Audi said.

The skysphere is also designed to offer Level 4 autonomy.

"With the touch of button, the driver can take advantage of their freedom and choose their own driving experience," Audi added. "Either they pilot their 4.94-meter-long e-roadster themselves in 'Sports' mode with a reduced wheelbase, while the rear-wheel steering ensures that the vehicle remains extremely agile despite its dimensions. Or they can choose to be chauffeured around in a 5.19-meter GT in the autonomous 'Grand Touring' driving mode while enjoying the sky and the scenery, maximum legroom, and the services offered by a seamlessly integrated digital ecosystem."

The concept thus transforms from a longer-wheelbase GT (with Level 4 autonomy, by the way) into a sports car with a press of a button, letting the driver decide how to use the 624 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque on tap.
We have some doubts about the production chances of that variable wheelbase, but the 80-kWh battery and the output of the electric motors certainly sound achievable today, for a price.

Chevy Previews Rear-Axle Steering on Silverado EV

The Silverado EV, due in 2023, will offer four-wheel steering as an option.

Speaking of variable features, this week Chevrolet released a short teaser video showing off one of the available items of the upcoming electric Silverado pickup, expected to arrive in 2023.
Just like the GMC Hummer model headed into production later this year, the battery-electric Silverado will offer rear-wheel steering, though perhaps not to the same degree as the Hummer model which demonstrated its crab walk ability months ago. Rear-wheel steering is promised as an option on the Silverado, but Chevy is not quite promising Crab Mode itself, which allows the Hummer to turn both the front and rear axle wheels in the same direction, permitting it to move diagonally. So while electric motors will certainly open up some new possibilities for both trucks, which will share Ultium batteries and motors, it's the more adventurous Hummer model that's likely to get the full bag of tricks.

Here's How Much Nissan Plans to Boost EV Output

The same week that President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at boosting EV rates to 50% of sales by 2030, Nissan announced similar plans. The automaker says that it is shooting for over 40% of its sales to be fully electric by 2030, with an even larger share expected to be electrified.

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FedEx Ground Is Getting These Xos Electric Trucks

Electric trucks are on their way to join the FedEx fleet, with commercial EV manufacturer Xos signing an agreement with the logistics giant to deliver 120 battery-electric vans to 35 FedEx locations. The company plans to supply the vans to FedEx Ground independent service providers (ISPs) based in Texas, California, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. The first vans are scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year, with the rest in 2022.

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