Volkswagen has officially lifted the covers off its new ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo.
Standing as Europe’s first all-electric microbus and transporter, Volkswagen is providing yet another solution to CO2-free mobility. Yet, despite its space age advanced features, you can’t help but notice the retrospective appeal of these new electrified models.
The ID. Buzz may be considered an icon for the electric era, but it also borrows a template from an iconic sibling from VW’s past. In the 1950s, the Volkswagen Bulli stood for a new feeling of automotive freedom, independence, and great emotion.
Borrowing a page from this storied past, the ID. Buzz picks up on this lifestyle and brings it to the future with a promise of an emission-free, sustainable, fully networked, and autonomous driving experience for modern drivers.
Sustainable Design
Both versions of the ID. Buzz are considered pioneers in terms of their sustainability. The models are manufactured and shipped using a carbon-neutral footprint. Inside, the vehicles utilise recycled synthetic materials and the interior is completely free of any real leather.
Like the icon of the 1950s, the new Volkswagen electric microbus is built with proportions similar to the classic T1 Bulli. The new ID. Buzz has super short overhangs like the original, a V-shaped front panel between the new charismatic LED headlights and optional two-tone paintwork too.
In terms of electrified performance, the ID. Buzz offers a 77 kWh battery, which powers a 150 kW electric motor that drives the rear axle. The lithium ion battery can be charged from wall boxes or public charging stations. It also supports rapid charging, allowing the Volkswagen electric microbus to achieve a 5% to 80% charge in about 30 minutes.
Designed For Life On The Move
Buzz drivers and passengers experience the new Bulli feeling in a spaciously designed interior. Typically Bulli: the layout is very clear, the concept well thought through and utilisation of space optimal. In the lounge-like, friendly ambience of the MPV version, five people have ample room for travelling and for their luggage (1,121 litres of capacity).
Once the second row of seats is folded down, the load capacity increases to up to 2,205 litres. Two or three seats up front, as the customer desires, and a fixed partition separating the cargo space are distinctive features of the ID. Buzz Cargo. The zero-emission cargo version can take two loaded euro pallets, loaded in transversely.
Built for the future, the ID. Buzz has been designed for future autonomous mobility concepts such as ride pooling, an e-shuttle service. As such, the electric Bulli also serves as a pivotal part of inner-city transport of the future.
Additionally, the new model line’s assistance systems perfect ease of driving and safety. Included as standard in the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo is the ‘Car2X’ local warning system, which utilises signals from other vehicles and the transport infrastructure to spot hazards in real time. The optional ‘Travel Assist with swarm data’, facilitates partially automated driving across the entire speed range and, for the first time, assisted lane-changing on the motorway.
(Images: Volkswagen)
