Volkswagen has shown the production model versions of its new all-electric ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo, which go on sale in the autumn in Europe.
The ID. Buzz, which is built by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, is also based on the VW Group’s Modular Electric Drive Kit platform (MEB).
VW claims the ID.Buzz is the first MPV with the drag coefficient of a car. Buzz has a drag coefficient of 0.285 – 0.29 for the ID. Buzz Cargo. That reduces energy consumption and increases range.
Many will be drawn to the design and the nod to predecessors. “The T1 – an icon of the 1950s – enabled people to gain mobility and freedom. With the ID. Buzz, we are transferring this T1 DNA to the present day and thus into the era of electric mobility,” says Jozef Kabaň, Head of Volkswagen Design. “The ID. Buzz brings a lot of sympathy and proximity to people back to the road,” the chief designer continues. Kabaň creates a direct link with the original classic vehicle: “In the T1 you are practically sitting on top of the front axle – there’s no front overhang. For all its safety relevance and technology, the ID. Buzz has super short overhangs.”
The ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo are launching across Europe with a 77 kWh battery (gross energy content: 82 kWh). It provides current to a 150 kW electric motor, which – as the flat engine once did in the T1 – drives the rear axle.
The lithium ion battery can be charged from wall boxes or public charging stations using 11 kW alternating current (AC). Via a CCS plug connector at a DC rapid-charging station (direct current) the charging power increases to as much as 170 kW. When charged in this way, the battery charge level rises from 5 to 80% in about 30 minutes. Using the latest ID. software, the model line will also offer the ‘Plug & Charge’ function in the future. Via this function, the ID. Buzz authenticates itself at compatible DC rapid-charging stations via the charging connector using the ISO 15118 standard. It also exchanges all necessary data with the charging station in this way – an added convenience. Bidirectional charging enables the ID. Buzz to feed unneeded energy from the battery into the customer’s home network (Vehicle-to-Home). The power transfer and communication take place via a special DC bi-directional wall box.
Ralf Brandstätter, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, said: “The ID. Buzz is a genuine icon for the electric era. A car, the likes of which only Volkswagen can build. In the 1950s, the Volkswagen Bulli stood for a new feeling of automotive freedom, independence and great emotion. The ID. Buzz picks up on this lifestyle and transfers it into our time: emission-free, sustainable, fully networked and now ready for the next big chapter: autonomous driving. With this car, we are bringing together the core themes of our ACCELERATE strategy in one product for the first time.”
Carsten Intra, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Brand, adds: “Both versions of the ID. Buzz are pioneering in terms of their sustainability: their manufacture and shipping has a carbon-neutral footprint. We are also using recycled synthetic materials and the interior is completely free of any real leather.” He continues: “The ID. Buzz will also be used for future autonomous mobility concepts such as ridepooling – an e-shuttle service of Group subsidiary MOIA that can be booked via an app. The electric Bulli is thus also a part of the future of inner-city transport.”
Emphasising fitment of advanced features, 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. Also included as standard: the ‘Front Assist’ emergency braking function and, in the MPV, the ‘Lane Assist’ lane-keeping assistant. With new software, new assistance functions are also making their way into the ID. family. Available as an option is ‘Travel Assist with swarm data’, which facilitates partially automated driving across the entire speed range and, for the first time, assisted lane-changing on the motorway. Also new: the ‘Memory Function’ for automated parking on a previously saved route.