Move over, Holden Ute.
German carmaker Volkswagen continues to explore the versatility of its MEB all-electric ‘skateboard’ platform, unveiling at the Hannover motor show its latest MEB-underpinned creation. A variation of the amazingly-cool ID Buzz, the new ID Buzz Cargo aims to take the retro-cool that the Buzz brought about back in January last year and deliver it to a new set of customers: Tradies.
The ID Buzz Cargo is, as you can guess, a cargo panel van. Taking the cool & funky ID Buzz, VW’s taken out all the windows aft of the pair for the front passengers, removed all the cabin accoutrements that we saw in the van, and kitted it out exactly the way it reckons tradies want it. So the front row now sits three abreast, while the rear sees shelves, lights, and sensors fitted to it specially, courtesy of van outfitting specialists Sortimo.
This is the cargo-van of the future after all, so you can bet that the Buzz Cargo is pretty well connected. There are on-board tablets, wifi, and access to external communication networks. So equipped, an ID Buzz Cargo could be tracked in real time, allowing for fleet managers to get a better idea of how they’re utilising and deploying their assets.
Under the skin lies a 150kW electric motor, capable of hitting v-max at 160km/h. The battery capacity under the floor is selectable, so you can have anything between 48kWh to 111kWh, depending on whether you need a minimum 330km of range, or the full 550km (according to WLTP testing standards). And in place of the glass roof that the ID Buzz came with, the Buzz Cargo offers up a solar panel, allowing as much as 15km extra range per day. Further, that power can go out through electrical sockets built into the car to run power tools, negating the need for a generator.
It’s unclear if the ID Buzz Cargo will go into production, but considering that it’d just be a variant of the ID Buzz that has already been greenlit, we can’t see why not.
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