VOLKSWAGEN TAKES BOLD DECISION TO PUT I.D. BUZZ
ELECTRIC CONCEPT CAR INTO PRODUCTION
Aug 19, 2017
Volkswagen
management announces production plans for the 21st century Microbus
at the
home of the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance
Pebble Beach, California –
At the Detroit Show in early 2017, Volkswagen showed the I.D. BUZZ concept car,
a fully electric vehicle that taps in to the spirit and vibe that made the VW
Microbus such an iconic vehicle — whether with Hippies and families in the
Sixties or Surfer Dudes and Van Lifers today.
The NAIAS in
Detroit excited our team as to the revival of the VW Microbus.
VW received an
overwhelming number of letters and emails asking them to produce the I.D. Buzz.
The F I.D. line will start with a more conventional four-door passenger car
model based on the first I.D. concept before the end of the decade. The I.D.
Buzz, it said today, “will arrive at dealerships in 2022,” and it “is mainly
targeting markets in North America, Europe and China.”
“For me, the I.D. Buzz concept
is the most beautiful and most exciting electric car in the world,” said Dr.
Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management for the Volkswagen brand, in
Pebble Beach, Calif.
“Our goal is clear: we want
to make the fully electric, fully connected car a bestseller around the world.
The iconic car of the electric age must be a Volkswagen.”
The I.D. Buzz is the second
EV concept that VW has revealed for production, along with the original I.D.
concept slated to enter production around 2019 as a 2020 model, while the I.D.
Crozz concept has shown how an electric VW SUV could look. All three use VW’s
Modular Electric Drive kit (or MEB, for its German acronym), a group of
components and chassis parts engineered to maximize the potential of electric
drive and future technology. “These cars will offer everything – and even more – than you have seen
from other electric carmakers,” says Diess. “And they will be much more
affordable.”
The first VW Bus sold in the United States in 1950 had all of 30 hp.
The I.D. Buzz concept sports 369 hp from electric motors on each axle that also
provide all wheel drive and the 111 kWh battery pack in the floor of the MEB
chassis provide nearly 300 miles of estimated range. Using a VW fast-charge
system, the it can recharge about 80 percent of its energy capacity in 30
minutes at 150 kW.
Last week and
according to our staff a lot of Beetles and original Microbuses cruised Detroit’s
Woodward Cruse day and night. The young people will buy the new I.D.
Buzz electric.
Now, Volkswagen
has taken the bold decision to put the Volkswagen I.D. BUZZ concept car into
production and Volkswagen’s CEO of the North American Region, Hinrich J.
Woebcken is happy to welcome the car to North America. The Chairmen of
the Boards of Management of the Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
brands, Dr Herbert Diess and Dr Eckhard Scholz, announced the decision today at
one of the most prestigious automotive events in the world — the Pebble Beach
Concours d’Elegance in California.
Within the framework
of further development, Volkswagen has also set a launch date for the
I.D. BUZZ. The vehicle will arrive at dealerships in 2022, after the
compact four-door I.D. makes its debut. With the I.D. BUZZ, Volkswagen is
mainly targeting markets in North America, Europe and China.
You can be sure VW and after market suppliers
will create a camper version.
The I.D. Buzz
Concept picked up on many of the classic microvan’s design cues, starting with
the relatively blunt nose and flat roof. But instead of the rear-mounted engine
of the classic Microbus, the I.D. Buzz will rely on a pure battery-electric
drivetrain.
"After
the presentations at the global motor shows in Detroit and Geneva, we received
a large number of letters and emails from customers who said, 'please build
this car’,” Volkswagen CEO Dr Herbert Diess said in Pebble Beach. The Board of
Management chose Pebble Beach as the location to make its announcement because,
as Diess explained: "The Microbus has long been part of the California
lifestyle. Now we're bringing it back by reinventing it as an electric
vehicle."
Just like the
concept car that was shown in Detroit, the production model will also have its
batteries mounted in the vehicle floor. Because the electric drive components —
electric motor, power electronics, and such —don't take up much space, the
vehicle has a long wheelbase with short overhangs, allowing for a massively
spacious interior and great proportions. "The vehicle looks like a compact
commercial van on the outside, even though it offers the generous interior
space of a large SUV," Diess explained.
As with the
passenger car – indeed, just like virtually all new electric vehicles coming to
market now – the I.D. Microbus will adopt a skateboard-like platform pioneered
by Tesla and General Motors. That means the batteries and key drivetrain
components will be under the load floor. That serves several purposes:
- It
helps lower the center of gravity, improving vehicle dynamics despite the
large mass of batteries;
- It
offers more room for the batteries needed for extended range;
- At
the same time, it frees up space above for passengers and cargo.
That will be
doubly beneficial, as the German automaker says it plans to offer both
passenger and cargo versions of the I.D. Buzz.
CEO of the
North American Region, Volkswagen, Hinrich J. Woebcken added: “We are delighted
that our parent company has taken the decision to produce the I.D. BUZZ. This
vehicle is the perfect balance between emotion, usability and sustainability,
while also showcasing our technological leadership. The high seating position,
cargo capacity, overall versatility and all-wheel drive option packaged into
such an appealing design is just what our customers want from us. And it’s the
perfect fit for the zero-emissions American lifestyle.”
The I.D. BUZZ
won’t just be a passenger vehicle. Just like the classic T2, the I.D. BUZZ will
both haul people and haul freight. "Along with a minibus version, we'll
also be offering an I.D. BUZZ CARGO variant for zero-emissions delivery of
goods,” said Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles CEO Dr Eckhard Scholz. "With
Level 3 autonomous capability, this is an ideal concept for an electric van,
particularly for delivering packages and goods to the inner cities."
“The vehicle
looks like a compact commercial van on the outside, even though it offers the
generous interior space of a large SUV,” Diess explained.
Although
Volkswagen's oldest and newest Microbuses will be separated by more than seven
decades when the new model is launched, the I.D. BUZZ undoubtedly has the
original's genes, as it offers maximum utilization of space on the footprint of
a mid-size passenger car. Based on the new all-electric architecture, the
production version of the I.D. BUZZ will incorporate many design ideas from the
concept car, including multi-variable seating, interactive connectivity and
highly automated driving.
The I.D. Buzz concept also offers a preview of the type of autonomous
technology that VW will develop for future models – namely its fully automated
“I.D. Pilot” mode that could go into production by 2025. From the fold-away
steering wheel and pop-up laser scanners in the roof to a heads-up display that
integrates augmented reality, the I.D. Buzz does not lack for innovation.
The I.D.BUZZ will allow a motorist to shift
to self-driving mode, though someone will need to remain behind the wheel ready
to take over in an emergency.
“With Level 3
autonomous capability, this is an ideal concept for an electric van,
particularly for delivering packages and goods to the inner cities,” said
commercial vehicles division CEO Eckhard Scholz.
VW has been
rapidly plugging into electric propulsion. It now has a variety of hybrids,
plug-ins and even pure battery models, such as the e-Golf. But it is also
working up an entirely new sub-brand, Volkswagen I.D., specifically for
electrified offerings. All told, Diess has said there will be at least such
models in the line-up a decade from now.
“The
I.D. Buzz stands for the new Volkswagen,” says Diess. “We are fully committed
to the future of mobility, and we want to reignite America’s love for VW.”
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HISTORY
OF THE ELECTRIC MICROBUS
#TBT: Volkswagen’s first
electric bus
Volkswagen has a long heritage with electric propulsion.
Ferdinand Porsche, the engineer who designed the Volkswagen Beetle, made
a name for himself with his first electric car in 1900 (one later adopted to
become the world’s first hybrid.) But it would be some 70 years before a
production electric vehicle would carry the Volkswagen brand – and it’s likely
not one you’ve ever heard of.
The global oil crisis of the early 1970s set many automakers to
work looking for alternatives to gasoline power. One of VW’s answers was to
take the still-popular Type 2 Microbus and transform it into an all-electric
vehicle. Known as both Eleckro-Bus and Elektro-Transporter, VW would eventually
build and sell about 70 of these EVs for use in Germany between 1972 and 1976.
Volkswagen's Elektro-Bus
The limitations of electric
power in that era made the Elektro-Bus a machine useful for only certain roles.
The battery pack of 72 lead-acid cells was reliable but not that powerful; top
speed was only 43 miles per hour, and reaching it would take a good 30 seconds.
As with modern electric cars, the pack was located on the vehicle floor in the
center of the chassis, necessary given its size and 1,847-lb. weight; unlike
today, the range was all of 25 miles. And while the Bus was rechargeable over
several hours, it also included a built-in rail and stand that allowed owners
to swap out battery packs.
Even 40 years ago, the VW
engineers who built the Elektro-Bus were exploring how much better it could be
with a more advanced battery (a nickel-cobalt pack the same weight as the one
in the pack would have doubled the range). As this year’s I.D.
BUZZ concept shows, the next generation of electric-powered vehicles with
lithium-ion packs could have speed and range similar to what’s already on the
road – and style to spare, as VW buses always do.
