VW has unveiled the much-anticipated long-wheelbase version of its ID. The Buzz electric minibus with an extra row of seats will begin deliveries in the United States next year.
Update: We’ve added some more information we gathered today at the reveal event this morning in Huntington Beach, California.
The new ID card. The Buzz version is very similar to the double-breasted European version, but offers a little more of almost everything. It has 282 hp instead of 201 hp (plus an available 330 hp twin engine configuration), a top speed of 99 mph instead of 90 mph, 91 kWh battery instead of 82 kWh and is a full 10 inches longer. In contrast to the two-row version, it also has an opening rear window.
Those extra 10 inches all come in the form of a 10-inch longer wheelbase. With a length of 192.4 inches, the three-row ID. In fact, Buzz is a full 2 feet longer than VW’s original 168-inch microbus. It all means more space for people and cargo compared to the double-row version. The extra row of seats takes up some of that space, but the 2nd row folds flat and the 3rd row can be removed (and Canada gets a unique long-wheelbase double-row version, without the 3rd row of seats for those who want it) . want more space).
When I sat in the car at the unveiling event, there was no shortage of space. With a height of 1.80 m in the second row and a 1.89 m tall representative of a VW dealer behind me, we both had no lack of space in any dimension. 6 adults shouldn’t have a problem here, probably 7 as well, as long as at least one of them is skinny. VW is planning a 6-seater option, but we haven’t seen one yet.
The longer wheelbase also offers space for an additional 9 kWh battery. VW has yet to announce the range of the three-row version, although the European spec calls for 263 miles on the WLTP cycle. Although the NA spec has a larger battery, it’s also a longer and heavier vehicle, and the EPA mileage estimates are well below the WLTP estimates, so we can’t be sure what the final figure will be. VW would only say it will be somewhere between 200 and 300 miles.
In terms of charging capacity, the double-row bus has 170kW of charging power, but a VW representative told us the larger battery is likely to allow for faster charging, potentially up to “around” 200kW.
However, the only solid, efficiency-related answer VW gave in writing is that the Buzz has a drag coefficient of 0.29, which the company describes as “very good for a vehicle of this shape” (ie, a brick).
The North American model is also available in three new colors not available on the European version: Cabana Blue, Metro Silver and Indium Grey.
VW has yet to name a price for the US version of the ID.Buzz, but in Europe prices start between $65,000 and $70,000 after tax. While the 3-row version is larger, VW has hinted to us that US prices could potentially be even lower than European prices, but that’s obviously not a promise as nothing has been officially announced yet.
A lower price might be needed as the ID.Buzz is built in Germany and imported into the US, meaning it doesn’t get access to tax credits like the US-built ID.4 does. It also means the US won’t get the van – it would be subject to the “chicken tax” that keeps foreign trucks out of the US. VW says domestic production could happen, but that depends on sales going well (at Electrek, we think VW is underestimating the market for this car) and production schedules.
Regardless, that puts the price close to the high end of the electric SUV market and nowhere near entry-level. We mention electric SUVs because there is no other vehicle quite like it. There’s a plug-in hybrid minivan, the Pacifica Hybrid, and a few commercial electric vans like the eSprinter and E-Transit. The ID Sitting somewhere alongside a van and a minivan, Buzz has more character than both, so it’s hard to really find a direct competitor for it.
But minivans are likely to come closest, and these will be much more expensive than this market’s entry-level gasoline-powered models, which are in the roughly $35,000 range. However, the buzz can access some state and local incentives and have lower operating costs for energy and maintenance.
And as the first all-electric entrant to the market, VW likely feels a higher price point is justifiable. Anecdotally, there seems to be a lot of demand for a cool minivan-style electric vehicle – especially one that could offer interesting conversion/adventure options.
VW hasn’t given us any further news about the planned California camper van, but the long wheelbase gives VW some wiggle room to work with. With all that space and built-in electricity, there should be some really cool options for van-life drivers (maybe even those looking to stay off the grid with solar panels).
Electrek’s attitude
At today’s unveiling event in Huntington Beach we got to try out the ID.Buzz a bit and the crowd was pretty excited about the new electric bus.
The long wheelbase version brings a welcome addition to the rear seats – a window
This addon flattens the floor when the seats are folded and also provides storage underneath.
When the cargo door is open, the side door will stop before colliding with it. However, if you open the side door first, the cargo door will not open.
A look “under the hood”
As someone whose family had a VW Vanagon Westfalia Camper as a child, the VW bus has a special meaning for me. My family has had many adventures on this bus and for all its quirks it was a fantastic vehicle.
And as I became interested in EVs, I kept thinking what a great platform an EV bus would be, with plenty of room under the floor for batteries that power various camping accessories (stoves, lights, entertainment, etc.). could.
So when Voltswagen presented its original ID. When I discovered the Buzz concept and was heavily influenced by the cool retro style of it all, I was immediately drawn to the idea. I and many others just thought it was too cool.
Then reality hit and the car ended up looking a little less ‘cute’ than the original retro concept. The final version got a bit more boxy shape, lost the characteristic old multi-window look and the commercial/cargo version even lost the rear windows so it just looked like a regular van.
Despite the two-tone paintwork and short overhangs (albeit a less forward-facing driving position than classic buses due to modern safety requirements), the ID. Buzz remains “funnier” than a normal van. And it has more character than most minivans and is less boxy than other vans like the Sprinter and Transit.
Today’s event invited VW bus owners to drop by and a large crowd filled the parking lot. Many of them were excited about the return of the bus, but wished, like me, that it conveyed more of the original spirit of the classic bus. However, VW’s presentation leaned heavily on classic bus culture and we hope the company can continue to nurture it and incorporate that spirit into the buzz.
A 1979 VW electric bus with a 1,874-pound, 25.9-kWh lead-acid battery
However, I’m wondering why North America can’t have the double row version. It seems like everyone is launching a three-row electric vehicle this year, like every American family suddenly gained two or three additional members that their European counterparts didn’t.
Somehow, my family’s 180-inch camper offered my entire American family comfortable sleep despite being a foot shorter than today’s offering—and it even had a kitchen. And a Westfalia owner I spoke to who owned the same vehicle I grew up with said the same thing: he wished they’d brought the smaller version here sooner.
VW of America told us they could choose either the short or long wheelbase for NA, and they went with the long one. They believe it would be a better fit for the market and its myriad types of customers.
We’re oddly obsessed with larger vehicles here, despite their huge cost to society (thousands of pedestrian lives, for example). Some would say that Americans are simply demanding bigger vehicles, but the problem is more complex — it’s largely caused by poor regulation that encourages cars to get bigger. Thankfully, the EPA has shown signs of wanting to bend the needle back, albeit a bit slowly.
Until then, we’re still getting a snazzy, retro-style bus that looks like it could get some great camper skills. But some of us might still be waiting for a micro version of the classic microbus instead of the maxi microbus that America is getting now.
And there are still some unanswered questions (price, range) but I’m still curious to see what VW does with this bus – and to see what cool modifications people make when they offer possible camper versions etc How.
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