Hop on the magic bus: VW debuts souped-up AWD ID. Buzz GTX with 335 hp

Published

2 months ago

March 21, 2024

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Lovers of the retro VW bus can get a sporty, all-wheel-drive, all-electric version with 335 hp – the most powerful ID. Buzz to date. Today, Volkswagen has followed up the recently announced ID.3 GTX and ID.7 GTX with the debut of its high-performance microbus Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX.

Announced today, the high-performance family hauler comes with all-wheel drive for the first time thanks to a dual-motor system as well as charging speeds up to 200 kilowatts and a towing capacity of up to 4,000 pounds – that’s twice the towing rate of the single-motor van. The bi-motor system is good for a total output of 335 horsepower, making the hot electric van the most powerful ID. Buzz available.

The van will be available in two wheelbase options. The standard-wheelbase option comes with a 79-kilowatt-hour battery, compared to the long-wheelbase option powered by an 86 kWh battery. The smaller unit can charge up 185 kW from a DC charger, while the larger pack can be recharged at up to 200 kW, meaning both can be topped up from 10% to 80% in less than 30 minutes. VW didn’t offer range specification but stated that both versions can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 6.5 seconds – which seems strange since presumably the bigger battery version will weigh more, but VW didn’t supply weight configurations in any case. Top speed is capped at 99 mph/160 kph.

The standard ID. Buzz GTX allows you to tow as much as 3,968 pounds, while the longer version with bigger battery can haul 3,527 pounds. The 4MOTION system provides traction advantages when towing a trailer on wet or loose surfaces, and VW says the vehicle is ideal for towing boats or horse trailers even on slippery ground.

Like the regular ID. Buzz, the GTX comes in either five- or six-seat configurations with the standard-wheelbase version, while the long-wheelbase model adds the option of a seven-seat layout.

As with the other GTX models, the ID. Buzz sees some styling tweaks with freshly designed bumpers, a new honeycomb intake grille, and a flashy Cherry Red paint job. You can opt for standard 19-inch wheels with two optional sets of 21-inch alloys.

Plus inside the vehicle, you’ll see some larger touchscreens (12.9 inches compared to 12 inches) and optional head-up display, and illuminated touch sliders for air conditioning and volume. The ID. Buzz GTX also features IDA voice assistance with ChatGPT integration and a Wellness app with preconfigured programs to “improve well-being while driving or charging.” Also, the ID. Buzz GTX features Volkswagen’s next-gen exit warning system to alert drivers if a cyclist or other vehicle is approaching as you open the door.

The ID. Buzz GTX goes on sale in Europe and the UK this year, with pre-sales starting this summer (we’ll have to wait until then to find out the price). As for the US, an all-wheel-drive version may make its way over, but for now only the longer-wheel-base, rear-wheel-drive ID. Buzz version will arrive later this year – the microbus’s first return stateside in more than 20 years. Since the US model will be imported from Hanover, Germany, it won’t likely qualify for the $7,500 tax credit.

Photos: Volkswagen

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Oakland is now first in the US to have a 100% electric school bus fleet – and it’s V2G

Published

3 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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Oakland is now first in the US to have a 100% electric school bus fleet – and it's V2G

Oakland electric school bus — Photo: Zum

An Oakland, California, school district is the first in the US to transition to a 100% electric school bus system with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.

Modern student transportation platform Zum has provided Oakland Unified School District with a fleet of 74 electric school buses and bidirectional chargers. Utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) supplied 2.7 megawatts (MW) of load to Zum’s Oakland EV-ready facility. The fleet will be managed through Zum’s AI-enabled technology platform.

“Oakland becoming the first in the nation to have a 100% electric school bus fleet is a huge win for the Oakland community and the nation as a whole,” said Kim Raney, executive director of transportation at Oakland Unified School District. “The families of Oakland are disproportionately disadvantaged and affected by high rates of asthma and exposure to air pollution from diesel fuels.”

The 100% electric school bus fleet is not only emissions-free but also plays a critical dual role as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), giving 2.1 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy back to the power grid at scale annually. Here’s how it works:

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Student transportation is the largest mass transit system in the United States, moving 27 million students twice daily. Today, over 90% of the US’s 500,000 school buses run on carbon-based fuels, releasing over 8.4 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.

Zum, which already has a presence in 14 states, says its next step is to electrify the school bus fleets of San Francisco Unified and Los Angeles Unified school districts, which have fleets three and six times the size of Zum’s Oakland fleet, respectively.

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Microsoft’s carbon emissions have risen 30% since 2020 due to data center expansion

Published

4 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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Microsoft’s carbon emissions have risen 30% since 2020 due to data center expansion

Exterior view of the Microsoft Times Square building in New York City on Jan. 29, 2023.

Kena Betancur | Corbis News | Getty Images

Microsoft‘s total carbon emissions have risen nearly 30% since 2020 primarily due to the construction of data centers, the company said in its annual sustainability report Wednesday.

Microsoft’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions — those generated by the company’s activities and the consumption of electricity or heat it uses — decreased 6.3% in 2023 compared to 2020, according to the report.

However, its indirect emissions — those that stem from all other activities Microsoft engages in — increased 30.9% during the same period.

The increase in Microsoft’s indirect emissions is largely due to the building materials and hardware components, such as semiconductors, servers and racks, used in constructing more data centers.

“Our challenges are in part unique to our position as a leading cloud supplier that is expanding its datacenters,” Microsoft said in its annual sustainability report. The tech company said the data center buildout demonstrates the need for greener concrete, steel, fuels and chips.

The expansion of data centers poses a challenge to tech companies that have set ambitious timelines to eliminate their carbon footprints. Microsoft aims to become carbon negative by 2030.

Microsoft is implementing a new requirement for the company’s “select scale, high volume suppliers to use 100% carbon-free electricity” by 2030 in an effort to address its indirect emissions.

Artificial intelligence and data centers are expected to represent 8% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2030, more than double their share today, according to a Goldman Sachs report published in April.

Goldman Sachs expects natural gas to fuel 60% of the increased power demand from data centers, while renewables will power the remaining 40%. Utility companies such as Dominion Energy and Duke Energy have said natural gas will need to play a role in backing up renewables when solar and wind are not generating enough power due to weather conditions.

Microsoft aims to have 100% of the company’s electricity consumption matched by zero-carbon energy purchases by the end of the decade. The company increased its contracted renewable energy assets to more than 19.8 gigawatts across 21 countries last year. It also contracted 5 million metric tons of carbon removal over the next 15 years.

Microsoft inked a deal with Brookfield Asset Management earlier this month to contract 10.5 gigawatts of renewable energy between 2026 and 2030. Brookfield and Microsoft described the agreement as the single-largest power purchase agreement signed between two corporate partners.

Microsoft also recently signed an agreement with a Swedish partner to remove 3.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, also described as the largest deal of its kind to date.

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BYD just hit a new weekly EV sales record for 2024 in China ahead of key model launches

Published

5 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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BYD just hit a new weekly EV sales record for 2024 in China ahead of key model launches

China’s leading electric car maker, BYD, just hit a new YTD EV sales record last week in its home country. BYD expects the momentum to continue with new EVs rolling out in key segments globally.

BYD hit a new weekly EV sales record in May

New data from Morgan Stanley (via Investing.com) shows electric vehicles outpaced their gas-powered rivals last week after recovering from the recent holiday in China.

Domestic brands had the biggest gains, with automakers like BYD, Li Auto, and NIO all seeing double-digit week-over-week (WOW) sales improvements. BYD had the biggest WOW improvement, with registrations up 30% to 69,500 last week.

Through May 12, BYD had 101,300 registrations in China. BYD sold 300,114 EVs globally in the first three months of the year, up 13.4% YOY. In April, BYD sold another 134,465 EVs, up 17% over April 2023. Through the first four months of 2024, BYD sold 434,579 electric cars.

Other domestic EV makers like Li Auto saw sales climb 50% WOW to around 8,000. NIO had a 23% improvement with new promotions pushing sales to 4,400 units.

NIO introduced the first EV, the L60 electric SUV, under its mass-market Onvo brand Wednesday. Starting at just $30,500 (219,900 yuan), NIO aims to compete with Tesla’s Model Y.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s sales declined 11% in China last week, with around 9,800 units sold. According to China Passenger Car Association data, Tesla sold 31,421 cars in China in April, down nearly 50% from the 62,398 sold in March.

New models launching

BYD launched its own Tesla Model Y rival last week, the Sea Lion 07. The BYD Sea Lion 07 starts at $26,250 (189,900 yuan) as the first EV based on its new e-Platform 3.0 Evo.

Designed by ex-Lamborghini and Audi designer Wolfgang Egger, you can see influence from the iconic brands integrated into the electric SUV’s design.

BYD-launches-Sea-Lion-07 — BYD Sea Lion 07, the brand’s first “mid-sized urban smart electric SUV” (Source: BYD)

The new electric SUV is available in three powertrains, two single-motor, and one dual-motor AWD option.

BYD Sea Lion 07 trim	Starting price	Range (CLTC)
550 Standard	189,800 yuan ($26,250)	550 km (341 miles)
610 Long Range	199,800 yuan ($27,625)	610 km (379 miles)
610 Smart	219,800 yuan ($30,389)	610 km (379 miles)
550 4WD Smart Navigation	239,800 yuan ($33,154)	550 km (341 miles)

BYD Sea Lion 07 prices

The single motor variants are offered with 71.8 kWh or 80.64 kWh BYD Blade batteries for up to 550 km (341 mi) or 610 km (341 mi) CLTC range, respectively. The dual motor model gets up to 550 km (341 mi) CLTC range.

BYD’s new electric SUV undercuts Tesla’s best-selling Model Y, which starts at 249,900 yuan ($34,550) with up to 554 km (344 mi) CLTC range.

BYD-Seagull-EV — BYD Dolphin Mini (Seagull) testing in Brazil (Source: BYD)

The new electric SUV comes after BYD revealed a series of lower-cost “Honor Edition” versions of its most popular EVs. For example, its cheapest Seagull EV Honor Edition starts at just $9,700 (69,800 yuan).

BYD plans to launch a new Seal electric car, which currently competes with the Tesla Model 3. Little is known about the new EV, but it’s expected to debut in June.

The automaker is expanding into new segments like luxury with its Yangwang brand launching several new EVs.

Most recently, BYD introduced its first PHEV pickup, the BYD Shark, this week in Mexico. The BYD Shark will start at 969,800 pesos ($58,100) to rival the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.

Source: CnEVPost, Investing.com

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