VW ID. Buzz and ID. Cargo debut with 82 kWh battery and 150 kW output

The world premiere of the concept car ID. BUZZ concept car at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2017 triggered a small hype around the globe.

According to VW, the positive feedback on the electric minibus allowed only one decision: the study must be transferred to series production. After five years of development work, the time has now come: the ID. Buzz is ready and will celebrate its world premiere in a few weeks: on 9 March, the fully electric van will be launched simultaneously as the ID. Buzz (five-seater) and ID. Buzz Cargo (van) will take off emission-free.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is currently still in the final testing phase of the ID. Buzz prototypes. The pre-series fleet is currently touring Europe. According to the manufacturer, these are final tests under everyday conditions between Barcelona, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Hanover. "Before we ramp up series production of the ID. Buzz, these final tests with vehicles that almost correspond to the final series production status provide us with indispensable conclusions for the final fine-tuning," says Kai Grünitz, Head of Vehicle Development at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

The ID. Buzz prototypes are only slightly camouflaged. This reveals that the designers have transferred the styling of the 2017 concept car to the 2022 production version without making any major changes - the similarities are unmistakable. Both ID. Buzz versions also pick up on some styling elements of the legendary T1 - the original Bulli. These include, for example, the extra short body overhangs, the maximum utilized space on a minimum traffic area, the classic division of the body design into a lower and upper level, and the unmistakable face with its V-shape. And just like the original Bulli, the ID. Buzz has rear-wheel drive.

MEB concept enables a high degree of agility
The new model series is technically based on the Volkswagen Group's modular e-drive system (MEB). Both ID. Buzz versions will be launched in 2022 with a lithium-ion high-voltage battery offering a gross energy content of 82 kWh (net: 77 kWh). The battery powers a 150 kW electric motor, which is integrated into and drives the rear axle. The top speed is electronically limited at 145 km/h. Official range figures are not yet available.

According to VW, the new ID. Buzz is said to be a very agile vehicle, which is typical for the electric drive: On the one hand, the electric motor builds up its maximum torque of 310 Nm from a standstill. On the other hand, this dynamic component is accompanied by a very low center of gravity, as the heavy battery is located far down on the sandwich floor. Due to its design, the ID. Buzz has yet another advantage: The turning circle of the electric Bulli is just over eleven meters.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has developed a versatile body based on the MEB, which should enable a particularly wide range of uses: The multivariable ID. With its five seats, Buzz is tailored to both leisure and business use. With the three-seater ID. Buzz Cargo, meanwhile, a modern zero-emission transporter is taking off. But this is just the beginning, according to VW: in the coming year, for example, an extended wheelbase with correspondingly expanded interior options will enrich the range.

On dimensions: The 2022 versions of the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo with a normal wheelbase (2,988 mm) are 4,712 mm long. For comparison: the wheelbase of the new ID. Buzz corresponds to that of the T6.1 except for a difference of two millimeters, which, however, measures 4,904 mm in total length and thus a good 20 centimeters more. This means that the ID. Buzz offers a similar interior length but can use smaller parking spaces. The bus, which is generously glazed all around, is 1,937 mm high; in the Transporter case, it is 1,938 mm (T6.1: 1,970 mm) due to slight chassis differences. The width of the two IDs. Buzz are 1,985 mm (without exterior mirrors); this makes the new model 81 mm wider than the T6.1.

Thanks to the space-saving MEB concept, the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo offers good space utilization, according to VW. The five-seater ID. Buzz takes up to 1,121 liters of luggage even with all passengers on board. The maximum storage volume of the ID. Buzz Cargo, which is equipped with a partition behind the first row of seats, is over 3,9 cubic meters. Buzz Cargo is over 3.9 cubic meters.

Plug & Charge and bidirectional charging are on board
Smart charging solutions: With the latest ID. Software, the series will also offer the Plug & Charge function in the future. The ID. Buzz authenticates itself via the charging plug at the fast-charging stations (DC/DC) of many providers and thus exchanges all necessary data with the charging point - a clear plus inconvenience.

And there will be another new feature: bidirectional charging. This technology, also known as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), opens up a completely new spectrum of possibilities. One example: from now on, it will be possible to store surplus energy from the home's photovoltaic system in the ID. Buzz during the day and feed it back into the house in the evening, to be self-sufficient even without the sun.

In general, the same applies to the ID. Buzz as for all models of the ID. family: software updates can be downloaded over the air. This includes updates to the infotainment system as well as updates in the area of charging or driver assistance. The range of assistance systems includes innovative networked technologies such as the first-ever "Trained Parking" (automatic parking and unparking), "Car2X" (warning and hazard alerts in the local vicinity), and the latest version of "Travel Assist" with swarm data utilization; the system enables semi-automated lateral and longitudinal guidance over the entire speed range.

European market launch in September
Shortly after the start of production of the ID. Buzz in the first half of the year, the European market launch is scheduled for autumn, according to VW. The ID. Buzz is also to be launched in the USA - it will be the comeback of the series between New York and San Francisco expected by many American fans.

The ID. Buzz is not the first Bulli with an electric drive. Already 50 years ago, Volkswagen presented a T2 as the prototype at the Hanover Fair, which was powered by an electric motor in the rear. The maximum range of 85 kilometers, however, showed that battery technology was far from practical. But back then, in 1972, it was already a reality: the dream of a locally emission-free Bulli. In 2022 it will become reality.