Volkswagen's ID. Buzz electric van introduced; coming to U.S. in 2024



(March 10, 2022) HERNDON, Va. — Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Passenger Cars has officially unveiled  the all-new ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo. The two electric vehicles transfer the design of one of the greatest automobile icons — the T1 Microbus — to the era of electric mobility. The short overhangs, spacious interior and available two-tone color palette pay homage to the past, while the high-tech interior, progressive and sustainably crafted design features, and EV technology marks it clearly as a vehicle of the future.

The ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo will come onto the market in the first few European countries in the third quarter of this year. The features and specifications that follow apply to European models; details for the U.S. version will be available closer to launch.

With the ID. Buzz, the Volkswagen Group further accelerates its transformation into one of the leading suppliers of electric vehicles. As with other models of Volkswagen’s all-electric family, the new ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo are based on the Group’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). The MEB is the world's first scalable large-production-run platform, and it provides the basis across the brands for all sorts of different models and segments. At present, 30 percent of all electric vehicles in the Group are already based on the MEB.

By 2025, it’s planned to be more than 80 percent. For Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the all-electric ID. Buzz is an important building block in order to continually help reduce the carbon footprint of the whole product portfolio.

First versions will come to European market with 82 kWh battery powering 201-hp electric motor with maximum torque of 229 pound-feet. The top speed is electronically limited to 90 mph. More battery versions with various power output levels are expected to follow in 2023.

The battery is mounted in the floor of the vehicle, giving the ID. Buzz agile handling for a vehicle of its size. The charging power when using alternating current (AC) is 11 kW. Via a CCS plug connector at a DC fast-charging station (direct current), the charging power increases to as much as 170 kW. With DC-fast charging, the battery charge level rises from 5 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. Using the latest software, the ID. Buzz model line will offer the Plug & Charge function in the future.

For Europe, bi-directional charging will enable the new ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo to feed power that they don’t need into the domestic grid (vehicle-to-home). In the future, this can also make the power available for stabilizing the grid. The power transfer and communication take place via an optional DC bi-directional wall box.


The ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo are launching in Europe this year in the normal-wheelbase form. In 2023, extended wheelbase versions of both ID. Buzz models will arrive on the European market: the U.S. version, arriving in 2024, will be based off the long-wheelbase passenger model.

The standard wheelbase measures 117.6 inches, and both ID. Buzz models are 185.5 inches long and 78.1 inches wide, excluding wing mirrors.

The short body overhangs are possible because the zero-tailpipe emission vehicle’s electric drive system is built in a very space-efficient way. The advantages of this include maximum space utilization, more compact overall dimensions than a comparable model with a conventional drive system, and an unusually small turning circle for this vehicle class—just 36.4feet.