All-electric VW Buzz goes to work

VOLKSWAGEN has wheeled out another member of its ever-expanding all-electric ID family, this time a close-to-production cargo version of its upcoming ID Buzz van.

 

Drawing inspiration from the iconic VW Kombi of yesteryear, the ID workhorse is designed for urban deliveries, carting a payload of up to 800kg in funky style.

 

The ID Buzz Cargo concept is one of a raft of electrified vehicles unveiled by VW Commercial Vehicles at the annual IAA commercial vehicle show in Hannover, Germany, this week.

 

Others include an electric taxi version of its Transporter, a similarly battery powered Caddy taxi, a mild-hybrid version of Transporter, hydrogen fuel-cell Crafter called HyMotion and a three-wheeled electric delivery bicycle called Cargo e-Bike that will hit the streets next year.

 

As GoAuto has reported, Volkswagen Group Australia has confirmed that members of the ID electric vehicle family will make it to Australia from 2021, and is close to spelling out its model roll out plans for its electric transformation.

 

However, both versions of the Buzz appear to be on the Australian wish-list, along with the ID small car that will be first into production at the end of 2019 for a 2020 launch in Europe.

 

Due in European showrooms in about 2021, the ID Buzz Cargo will sit below the recently announced e-Crafter in the rapidly expanding electrified VW commercial vehicle range.

 

The smaller vehicle is a stretched and stripped out version of the ID Buzz passenger van that is slated for production in 2022 as part of the Volkswagen Group’s roll-out of 27 new all-electric models across the company’s four brands.

 

At 5048mm long, 1976mm wide and 1963mm tall, the ID Buzz Cargo sits on the same modular MEB electric vehicle platform that will underpin all members of the VW ID family and other EVs within the Skoda, Audi and Seat ranges.

 

In this case, the wheelbase is a hefty 3300mm, opening up a large cargo box accessed by a large sliding door on the kerb side and twin barn doors at the rear.

 

VW has not been specific about the potential driving range of the Buzz Cargo, but the company has already stated that its MEB platform with its scalable underfloor batteries will be able to propel its vehicles by between 330km to 500km.

 

Interestingly, the Buzz Cargo concept has a solar panel roof that the company says can extend the range by up to 15km a day.

 

The ID Buzz Cargo will be highly connected and automated, with level three autonomous control for easier operation in crowded city streets.

 

The workhorse version of Buzz was foreshadowed at the Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance in California last month when VW announced the passenger Buzz would go into production by 2022.

 

Elsewhere on the VW stand at the Hannover show, the electric Cargo e-Bike might look a little boring but it could be anything but to ride.

 

Armed with a lithium-ion battery and a 250-watt 48-volt motor, the e-Bike can hit 25km/h and carry up to 210kg of cargo in a 0.5 cubic-metre box between the front wheels.

 

Designed as “a last-mile deliverer”, the e-Bike has an innovative front axle that allows the bike to tilt when cornering but keeps the cargo compartment upright.

 

The smallest VW commercial vehicle will go into production next year at the VW plant in Hannover.

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