Volkswagen Microbus Electric Vehicle 2017 Specs, News: Concept Features Fast Charging Technology, Autonomous Driving
Volkswagen is bringing back the Microbus, this time as an electric vehicle based on their I.D. Buzz concept vehicle. The company is planning to roll out production versions of the new generation Microbus in 2022, starting with the United States, Europe and China.
This move to revive the Microbus as an electric is one driven by popular demand, as Volkswagen just announced through a news release on Saturday, Aug. 19. The company is aiming for 2022, which gives them five years to prepare for the launch of the new Microbus in the U.S., Europe and China.
They are doing so by adapting their acclaimed I.D. Buzz Microbus concept, "the most beautiful and most exciting electric car in the world," as Dr.Herber Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management for Volkswagen, cheerfully described.
"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," Diess added.
The I.D. Buzz concept, designed to evoke the iconic VW Microbus, has won several awards since its reveal at the Detroit Auto Show. The prototype carries the signature two-tone body of the original while adding light strips and hexagonal segments that establish its signature look as one of Volkswagen's future cars.
In its concept stage, the Microbus has a combined 369 horsepower from electric motors linked to each axle. The arrangement provides the prototype with all wheel drive capabilities, while a 111 kWh battery pack gives it about 300 miles of range.
The concept car uses Volkswagen's fast-charge system, which claims to be able to recharge 80 percent of top capacity in half an hour. The I.D. Buzz also comes with a preview of "I.D. Pilot," an autonomous driving technology expected to go into final production in 2025.
The video below shows off the features as present in the prototype VW Microbus, the new electric vehicle from Volkswagen coming in five years' time. The company offers no pricing information as of this time.
