Volkswagen is planning to reintroduce the microbus, and this time it’s going to be a green dream machine. They have decided to call the new model the I. D. Buzz, and it is an amazing EV concept car.
While only in the concept phase, the new VW bus made its debut at the recent 2017 North American Auto Show in downtown Detroit. Volkswagen says that it will be the first 100% EV multi-purpose vehicle that come equipped with a fully autonomous driving mode.
It sports some pretty amazing features, and they are planning to give this green machine more than 350 hp, and the ability to to drive itself. All you have to do is gently press the steering wheel towards the dashboard, and then it magically retracts into the instrument panel.
The Buzz sports a 111 kW-h battery, and will give you a range of around 270 miles on a single charge.
They have even coordinated mood lighting, and when your magic bus is in I.D. Pilot mode, the lights will take on a warm ambiance, and be extended to the rear seating area as well.
The I. D. Buzz also features an augmented reality heads up display, that gives you all the relevant information, no matter what driving mode you are in.
While there is no definitive production date, VW has said that this wondermobile may be released as soon as 2025, and they have every intention of putting it into production.
I really hope that they do, and it is great to see such incredible engineering being developed with the intention of commercial release. I look forward to seeing more EV’s on the road, and with the cool features that are being developed for EV’s, it’s not hard to see why people will look at an EV as an upgrade to a gas burner.
2025, as well say never. Competition will long be ahead before then. I don’t care a bit for mood lighting in an EV.