The Volkswagen ID Buzz is a modern and colorful version of the hippie van. Additionally, it is an alternative to sustainable and CO2-free travel, being Europe’s first all-electric bus and transporter series.
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The Volkswagen ID Buzz is packed with cutting-edge tech
With the newest ID. software, systems, and functionalities for safety, comfort, and charging, the ID Buzz establishes new benchmarks in its category.
Ralf Brandstätter, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars: “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 accellerate strategy in one product for the first time.”
The ID Buzz, like all of Volkswagen Passenger Car’s ID. models, is produced by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hanover and is based on the Group’s Modular Electric Drive Kit in terms of engineering (MEB). The world’s first scalable mass manufacturing platform for all-electric vehicles serves as a cross-brand foundation for a wide range of models and categories.
Its design enables evolutionary software and technological development, which helps not only new models like the ID Buzz but also models that have previously been supplied through over-the-air upgrades.
Carsten Intra, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Brand: “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. 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.”
The support features in the new model range are designed to make driving easier and safer. The ‘Car2X’ local warning system is standard, and it detects risks in real-time using signals from other cars and the transportation infrastructure. The ‘Front Assist’ emergency braking feature and, in the MPV, the ‘Lane Assist’ lane-keeping aid are also standard.
New help features are being added to the ID. family as a result of new software. ‘Travel Assist with swarm data’ is an optional feature that allows for partly automated driving over the whole speed range and, for the first time, aided lane-changing on the highway. The ‘Memory Function,’ which allows for autonomous parking on a previously stored route, is also new.
150 kW motor and rear-wheel-drive
With a 77 kWh battery, the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo will be available throughout Europe (gross energy content: 82 kWh). It feeds power to a 150 kW electric motor, which drives the back axle in the same way as the flat engine did in the T1.
The battery’s deep integration in the sandwich floor, along with the lightweight electric drive system, results in well-balanced weight distribution and a low vehicle center of gravity. Both of these qualities improve handling and agility. The lithium-ion battery may be charged using 11 kW alternating electricity from wall boxes or public charging stations (AC).
The charging power at a DC rapid-charging station (direct current) climbs to as much as 170 kW through a CCS plug connection. The battery charge level goes from 5 to 80 percent in roughly 30 minutes when charged in this manner. The model line will also provide the ‘Plug & Charge’ capability in the future, thanks to the newest ID. software.
The ID Buzz uses the ISO 15118 standard to identify itself at compatible DC rapid-charging stations through the charging connection. This method also allows it to share all essential data with the charging station, which is a bonus.
The ID. Buzz may send unused energy from the battery into the customer’s home network thanks to bidirectional charging (Vehicle-to-Home). A unique DC bi-directional wall box is used for power transmission and communication.
A timeless design with a modern twist
The ID. Buzz’s distinctive design creates a visual framing around this futuristic technology.
“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. 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.”” he adds.
In a spaciously built cabin, ID Buzz drivers and passengers enjoy the new Bulli vibe. The arrangement is quite obvious, the idea is well thought out, and the space use is great, as is typical with Bulli, or Buss. Five passengers have plenty of space for travel and baggage in the MPV version’s lounge-like, pleasant atmosphere (1,121 liters of capacity).
The cargo capacity grows to 2,205 liters when the second row of seats is folded down. The Volkswagen ID Buzz Cargo has two or three seats upfront, depending on the customer’s preference, and a fixed partition dividing the 3.9 m3 cargo compartment. Two filled euro pallets may be loaded transversely in the zero-emission freight variant.
Available soon, first in Europe and then in USA and Canada
This fall, the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo will be available in the first few European nations. In May, advance purchases will begin. Volkswagen of America will also kick off the resurrection of the so-called microbus in the United States and Canada with the ID. Buzz.
