Volkswagen wants to double ID.Buzz production as three-row electric van hits the US
The iconic Volkswagen Microbus is making a comeback in all-electric form. VW wants to more than double ID.Buzz production as the three-row electric van rolls out in the US this year.
After making its official debut in March 2022, Volkswagen’s electric ID.Buzz is finally about to hit US dealerships.
The beloved Volkswagen Microbus was a hit for its versatility and size, making it perfect for road trips and those (mostly hippies) looking to get off the grid. VW’s bus was seen as a symbol for those looking to stand out. Can it do the same in electric form?
Last June, Volkswagen unveiled the three-row ID.Buzz, set for the US market. The three-row ID.Buzz is tailored for the US with a longer wheelbase than the European two-row model.
It will also include a bigger battery (91 kWh) for added power to handle the extra load. Earlier this year, we learned the ID.Buzz will be available in three trims in the US: Pro S, Pro S Plus, and a launch-only first edition.
Lars Krause, executive vice president of sales and marketing at VW Commercial Vehicles, has high hopes for the new three-row electric van.
VW to double ID.Buzz production with new variants
In an interview with German auto outlet Automobilwoche, Krause said with new ID.Buzz variants, like the three-row model, VW expects production to ramp up quickly.
After only building 35,000 models last year, VW expects ID.Buzz production will reach over 100,000 in the medium term. That’s more than double the roughly 35,000 electric vans produced last year.
Krause explained, “In the second half of the year, we want to build twice as many ID. Buzz as in the same period last year.” The high hopes come as new variants, including the three-row and GTX models, are launching.
Volkswagen is also phasing out the T6. 1, which will open up production capacity. “In Hanover, you will only build two models: the Multivan and the ID. Buzz,” Krause said.
Over time, the ID.Buzz will “have to make a large contribution to the plant’s capacity utilization,” according to Krause. “In the medium term, production of the ID. Buzz, which we build in Hanover for the entire global market, should and must be in the six-digit range.”
Krause believes 100K is “realistic” as the ID.Buzz reaches new markets like the US. VW is also planning an even cheaper entry-level ID.Buzz to meet the demand.
The entry-level ID.Buzz will include a smaller 62 kWh battery. However, VW has yet to set a price for the new model.
Deliveries of the first ID.Buzz models will start in the next few months in the US. Meanwhile, the ID.Buzz with long wheelbase will also be available in Europe.
VW’s electric van is expected to start at over $50,000 in the US. In Germany, the ID. Buzz starts at €64,600 ($69,000), including VAT.
What do you guys think? Would you buy the electric VW ID.Buzz for over $50,000? Let us know in the comments.
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Environment
This robot loves cleaning pools more than you do! Meet Fanttik Aero X Robotic Pool Cleaner
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Global renewable developer and energy giant RWE has halted its US offshore wind operations “for the time being” because of the “political environment” the Trump administration has created.
RWE, Germany’s biggest electricity producer, said in March that it had dialed back its US offshore wind activities. But now, CEO Marcus Krebber said in a speech transcript, which he’ll deliver at the company’s Annual General Meeting in Essen on April 30, that its US offshore wind business is now closed (but it wasn’t all bad news):
In the US, where we have stopped our offshore activities for the time being, our business in onshore wind, solar energy, and battery storage has so far been developing very dynamically. At the start of this year, we reached an important milestone when our US generation capacity hit the 10 gigawatt mark. The construction of a further 4 gigawatts is secured.
He went on to say that renewables have created regional value and jobs, but that the company remains “cautious given the political developments.” RWE has introduced more stringent requirements for future US investments:
All necessary federal permits must be in place. Tax credits must be safe harbored and all relevant tariff risks mitigated. In addition, onshore wind and solar projects must have secured offtake at the time of the investment decision. Only if these conditions are met will further investments be possible, given the political environment.
About half of RWE’s installed renewable capacity is in the US, where it’s the third-largest renewable energy company through its subsidiary, RWE Clean Energy. RWE holds the rights to develop US offshore wind projects in New York, Louisiana, and California.
RWE paid $1.1 billion for the New York lease area in 2022, where it’s meant to develop the 3 gigawatt (GW) Community Offshore Wind with the UK’s National Grid. Community Offshore Wind was projected to come online in the early 2030s and expected to power more than a million homes.
The developer paid $5.6 billion for the Louisiana lease in the Gulf of Mexico in 2023 as the lone bidder for development rights, and the Canopy Offshore Wind project off Northern California was not expected to be completed for another decade.
Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build
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