AN ALL-TIME LEGEND KEEPS ON TRUCKIN’

VW IS REVIVING THE TYPE 2 BUS — AND NOW IT’S BATTERY-POWERED

LONG BEFORE #VANLIFE was a thing and Jerry Garcia played his first guitar, the Volkswagen microbus rolled off German assembly lines in 1950. Roomy enough to pack with surfboards, camping gear, or festival-going flower children, it became an icon of the counterculture movement before disappearing from U.S. showrooms in 1979. But now, the VW Bus is roaring back — silently. In 2022, Volkswagen plans to begin producing a plug-in electric model, based on the I.D. Buzz concept vehicle shown here, which mimics the original van’s monolithic, overhang-free look and boasts tech upgrades including wraparound ambient LED lighting, and near-autonomous driving features. A huge battery will provide enough juice for the Bus to travel up to 300 miles on a single charge, and it will take an 80 percent charge in a half hour via a DC fast charger (you’ll need to map out those stations before hitting the road to trail Phish). Unlike the anemic models of the past, which made highway on-ramps harrowing, the plug-in Bus will produce 369 horsepower — that’s more than 15 times that of the OG van, more akin to a muscle car. And the electric powertrain will enable not just a “frunk,” or front trunk, as in the Fifties-era models (which housed an engine in the back), but plenty of interior flexibility. Since the I.D. Buzz’s battery hides in the floor and the two electric motors sit at the axles, the cabin space above is rife with possibilities: The concept vehicle features seats that can be moved around on rails to face each other, turn into tables, or fold flat. It’s more like a living room than a car. “We want to guarantee that you can sleep in it,” says Klaus Bischoff, Volkswagen’s chief designer, who drove and camped in a classic Bus during high school. “The Type 2 moved a generation and became a part of music and pop culture. We had that in mind — striving to build something soulful. This technology will help us realize that.” Pricing hasn’t been announced, but VW has stated that it won’t stray far from similar, conventionally powered vehicles. Some analysts have speculated it will start around $50,000. J.W.