VW's Hippie Bus Rides Again with Electric PowerVW's Hippie Bus Rides Again with Electric Power

Volkswagen has finally released details on the production version of the revived electric version of the company's legendary bus.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

March 10, 2022

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Volkswagen ID.BuzzImage courtesy of Volkswagen

After years of teasing, Volkswagen has finally made the formal announcement of the production version of the hotly anticipated electric version of the company’s classic bus.

Alas, for fans, the wait continues, because the ID.Buzz will arrive in European dealers next year and will not come to the U.S. until 2024.

That is a long time since the first ID.Buzz concept vehicle debuted at the 2017 North American International Auto Show. At least now those would-be buyers will know what they’ll be getting when it finally gets here.

We know the original classic as the VW bus, but the company calls it the T1 and uses that as the frame of reference for the ID.Buzz. “The T1 – an icon of the 1950s – represents freedom and the democratization of mobility,” mused head of Volkswagen design Jozef Kabaň. “With the ID. Buzz, we are transferring the T1 DNA to the present day and thus into the era of electric mobility and sustainability.”

However, he pointed out that VW has sought to avoid producing a nostalgic clone of the original so that the ID.Buzz can be relevant to the grandchildren of the T1 hippie bus’s original fans. “We very consciously ensured that we were not making another T1,” Kabaň emphasized. “The ID. Buzz shows that it is successfully transferring the genes and stylistic elements of that iconic vehicle into the digital era.”

Related:Tech Tidbit: How Volkswagen Developed the ID.4 EV’s Drive Mode Selector

Take a look through our slide show to see whether you think they’ve succeeded and to learn the technical specifications of the ID.Buzz.

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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