More power, less flower: The former hippie mobile with the euphonious name “Bulli” has arrived in the electric age and looks more like the serious business buses T6 or T7, (unfortunately) less the first models T1 or T2. Nevertheless, Volkswagen not only wants to use the ID.Buzz to reach taxi companies, but also to focus more on lifestyle customers.
The world premiere showed for the first time what the vehicle will look like in all its glory. Only small accents are reminiscent of the cult origins, but this is intentional: “The T1 – an icon of the 1950s – gave people mobility and freedom. With the ID.Buzz, we are transferring this T1 DNA to the present day and thus to the era of electromobility,” outlines Jozef Kabaň, Head of Volkswagen Design. “The ID.Buzz brings a lot of sympathy and the closeness to people back onto the street,” continues the chief designer.
VW ID. Buzz as a cargo or five-seater
At the start, the ID appears. Buzz in two versions: as a five-seater or as an empty transporter, with a separate loading area if required. A camping version, called ID.California, is to follow in a few years. Unfortunately, there is currently no information on the trailer hitch and the trailer load, but prototypes of the ID.Buzz have already been spotted with a built-in hitch, so that corresponding options can be assumed.
+++ Also read: VW ID.Buzz: Volkswagen’s new electric “Bulli” in the driving test +++
The space is huge as usual. The ID.Buzz is 4.71 meters long, 19.94 meters high and has a wheelbase of 2.98 meters. The trunk has 1,121 liters, if you fold down the rear seat, it is 2,205 liters. Volkswagen puts the entire loading space at 3.9 cubic meters, so two Euro pallets fit across.
Range unknown
The rear-wheel drive delivers 150 kilowatts, the equivalent of around 200 hp. The battery measures 77 kilowatt hours. Volkswagen is currently silent about consumption and range. In other (lighter) models of the group with this battery, the range is around 400 kilometers. The ID.Buzz charges with a maximum of 170 kilowatts, so after 30 minutes the battery can go from five to 80 percent.
The top speed is capped at 145 kilometers per hour, the ID.Buzz is a comfortable fellow, whereby the maximum torque of 310 Newton meters certainly promises brisk acceleration.
The dashboard has nothing to do with the rustic control center of the original Bullis, the buzz is operated with a 10-inch display in the middle, and the bus displays information about the journey on a 5.3-inch screen above the steering wheel.
Volkswagen plans to deliver the buses in the fall, with advance sales starting in May. Only then will VW reveal what the ID.Buzz costs. Rumor has it that the prices could be between 30,000 and 40,000 euros.