Volkswagen: This is the Bulli as a pure electric vehicle 🎥
EMOTION AND TRADITION The Volkswagen ID.Buzz transfers the DNA of the iconic T1 into the future. The all-electric neo-bulli will hit our roads in September as a five-seater and as the ID.Buzz Cargo van.
The first ID.Buzz, still in camouflage, leave the plant in Hanover, where the Bulli has been built for years.
In the final testing phase, the camouflaged pre-series fleet is currently touring Europe to carry out final checks before the start of production. The ID.Buzz and ID.Buzz Cargo will celebrate their world premiere on March 9, followed by the market launch in Europe in September.
But the Bulli is also buzzing overseas. The American debut is planned for 2023. Autonomous prototypes are also already on their first test drives in Germany (gallery on the left).
Problem free charging of the battery
The ID. Buzz is technically based on the VW Group's Modular Electric Building Kit (MEB). It is equipped with an 82 kWh battery and offers the Plug & Charge function thanks to the latest ID software. The vehicle authenticates itself at the charging station via the charging plug and exchanges all necessary data with the charging station.
In addition, with the new bidirectional charging function, the ID.Buzz can serve as an energy storage device to store excess energy from the home's photovoltaic system in the car during the day and feed it back into the house in the evening.
Pure electric rear wheel drive
As in the original T1, the engine and axle drive are located in the rear. The synchronous machine delivers 310 Nm and 150 kW and enables a top speed of 145 km/h - then it is electronically governed.
In length, the ID Buzz measures 4.71 meters, while the wheelbase is 2.99 meters. Despite these dimensions, the Buzz remains maneuverable on narrow roads, because thanks to rear-wheel drive, the turning circle is just over eleven meters.
In Switzerland test drive in the fall
VW specifies a trunk and cargo space of 1120 liters for the ID.Buzz and 3900 liters for the ID.Buzz Cargo. Information on energy consumption, range and base prices will be announced at a later date.
Sales in Switzerland will start in mid-May. Shortly after the start of production of the ID. Buzz, the new model will be available for test drives at all Swiss VW Commercial Vehicles partners in the fall. Prices will be available at the world premiere.
Forerunner debuted already 50 years ago
The ID. Buzz is not the first Bulli with an electric drive. As early as 50 years ago, Volkswagen presented a T2 as the first prototype at the Hanover Fair that was powered by an electric motor in the rear.
However, the maximum range of 85 kilometers showed that the battery technology was far from practical. But back then, in 1972, the dream of a locally emission-free Bulli was already in the making. Another prototype followed at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2018. It will now become reality in 2022.
