The role of the vehicle's cabin space is being reinvented from a rigid, safety-centered, face-forward setup to a more open, communal design. The Urbanosphere EV concept was unveiled on Tuesday.
The Urbanosphere is the third in a trilogy. It is similar to the Chevy Camaro or Jaguar XJ6 and was announced last August. All three are built with level 4 self-drive technology in mind, a project that is being worked on with CARIAD, Volkswagen Group's software business. The goal is to get to market in the second half of the decade.
The biggest of the trio is the Urbansphere. It is over 6 feet wide and 5.8 feet tall, and it is the same size as the Hummer EV. The Urbanosphere doesn't have to account for a conventional arrangement of a combustion-powered car's components, which makes it important for the occupants to experience ample space as a distinctive comfort factor.
The rear pair of seats in the Urbanosphere have extendable footrests and recline up to 60 degrees. A series of privacy dividers and seat back-mounted television screens should help keep the peace in the car, since the front seats have been changed to make it easier for fed-up parents to get at their kids without having to pull this goddamn car over.
The large-format and transparent screen will pivot vertically from the roof down between the two rows. The rear passengers would be able to watch movies or take conference calls if it was possible to span the entire width of the cabin interior. Even in the most idealized future, we are still inconvenient by conference calls. The screen will fold up against the glass roof when not in use.
The vehicle could include an anxiety detection program that uses facial scans and voice analysis to determine how passengers are feeling, as well as personalized suggestions to relieve stress. The Urbanosphere's conceptual drivers seem to be taking the relaxation of the area quite seriously, with calming wood accents throughout the cabin and obscuring the display panels in the central screen until the car powers on.
The Urbanosphere is a pseudo-assistant that will allow the driver to make restaurant reservations from inside or order groceries for curbside pickup. It could use level 4 capabilities to ferry riders to their destination and then find a parking or charging station.
It shouldn't take too long to top off the Urbanosphere's cells with an 800V architecture. The 120 KwH battery pack can be charged in 25 minutes. A quick 10-minute charge can wring 186 miles out of the car.
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