VW rolls out cargo concept of I.D. Buzz
Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle arm rolled out a cargo-carrying concept based on the automaker’s new I.D. Buzz at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany, in mid- September. While the back windows have been removed, the rear overhang has been stretched for additional space, making this one roomy delivery van. The I.D. Buzz Cargo, which would be based on VW’s electric MEB platform, is also a pretty high-tech hauler. A computerized inventory system, built into the vehicle’s dashboard, can work with electrified shelves in the back to have a particular package ready to grab when the rear doors are opened. If the concept doesn’t seem ambitious enough yet, you haven’t heard about the ‘not-cockpit,’ which fore goes traditional instruments in favour of an augmented reality( AR) head-up display( HUD) projected onto the windshield. That’s if you’re still driving the thing at all. VW wants Level 4 autonomy in this Buzz, so that when you push on the steering wheel for several seconds, it retracts and the van drives itself. Battery range would be in the 330- to 550-kilometre area, depending on the size of the cells, and solar panels on the roof would harness enough juice to add another 15 kilometres, as they charge over the course of a delivery day. VW hasn’t said when the production version would be ready for customers, but the regular I.D. Buzz is scheduled to come out in 2022, and the company suggests this vehicle is just as ready for market.