VW ID.Buzz pricing, range & interior colors announced
VW has announced its pricing, range and color options for the upcoming ID.Buzz, with 3 interior and 11 exterior colors available when it hits the road later this year.
The ID.Buzz has been a long time coming, with a concept first unveiled in 2017. It’s already on the road in Europe, but North America has been waiting for its own three-row since it was unveiled last June.
But we never knew for sure how much it would cost. The European version starts in the ~$65-75k range (depending on country, and EU prices generally include taxes), and the US version is even bigger, so we worried the price might be even higher.
Today we’re learning that the ID.Buzz will start at $59,995 base for the “Pro S” tier, a bit of a relief compared to what we might have expected. The Pro S only comes in rear-wheel drive, and comes with a second-row bench seat with room for seven passengers.
A Pro S Plus tier starts at $63,495 (or $67,995 for AWD) and the launch-only “1st Edition” will start at $65,495 for RWD or $69,995 for AWD.
Rear-wheel drive models have 234 miles of EPA range, and all-wheel drive models are slightly less efficient at 231 EPA miles. AWD models come in six-seat configurations, swapping the 2nd row bench seat for two captain’s chairs instead. You can get captain’s chairs on the Pro S Plus RWD for an additional $695.
The ID.Buzz will have three available interiors: Dune, Copper and Moonlight. Dune won’t be available on the base Pro S, only the upgraded trims.
The 11 exterior colors are split up into 3 monochrome single-tone colors and 8 two-tone colors. The two-tone colors are only available on upgraded trims, whereas the base Pro S trim will only have access to the three single-tone exteriors.
Two-tone colors cost an additional $995 on the Pro S Plus model, or are included on the 1st Edition models, though that model is limited to blue, orange, green, silver, and yellow exteriors.
Pro S Plus can also add a panoramic “smart glass” roof for $1,495, which is electrochromic and can turn opaque to help keep the sun off of you. 1st Edition includes this glass roof standard.
A list of other options included with the various trims, and samples of the exterior colors, can be seen below:
One last point on price: none of the ID.Buzz trims will qualify for the $7,500 US federal EV tax credit due to being assembled outside the US. However, VW will likely offer lease incentives, as other companies have done, since that allows them to bypass many of the restrictions of the credit. We don’t have the details of those yet, but stay tuned when the Buzz does finally hit the road, which should happen in October/November.
Electrek’s Take
When I was young, my family had a VW Vanagon Westfalia camper, so the VW bus has special significance to me. My family went on a lot of adventures in that bus, and for all its quirks, it was an awesome vehicle.
So I’m quite excited about the ID.Buzz, and have long thought this would make the perfect platform for electrification.
When I saw the original concept, I loved the cool retro style it had, calling back to that fun old bus I grew up with.
That said, I’m slightly let down by the real thing. It’s a little less quirky, a little more van-like, than the original concept – which was already a little less quirky than the old VW microbuses were to begin with. There are a lot of reasons for this, including new pedestrian and occupant safety standards that make the old VW bus’s minuscule overhangs untenable in this day and age, but I still do miss it.
So, the final version of the ID.Buzz is a lot more van-like, and a lot less quirky (though the two-tone paint option does offer a big visual improvement, in my opinion). But “normal” might not be such a bad thing.
There aren’t a lot of electric vans out there, with the $52k Pacifica Hybrid being the only other one with a plug at the moment. However, it’s just a 32-mile plug-in hybrid, whereas the Buzz is the first electric minivan you can buy in the US.
So despite missing out on some of the quirkiness, the Buzz has a market all to itself at the moment. There are some other electric vans, like the Ford E-Transit and Mercedes eSprinter, but those are more commercial-focused (VW does have a cargo version of the Buzz in the EU, but it’s not coming to the US).
And the Buzz is selling well in the EU, with VW planning to increase production dramatically to meet US demand. So it sees a large untapped market and expects to grab hold on it quickly. So despite my personal misgivings, maybe something a little more normal will slot well into a market that wants any electric van.
And while the price isn’t exactly low, it’s lower than we expected, and there are certainly plenty of higher-end minivans that price out around that level. Coupled with potential state or local incentives and a possible lease discount once VW gets leases up and running, the Buzz could end up at a quite competitive price compared to the competition.
And besides, we might still get to salvage some of that quirkiness, either through a $3,400 add-on mattress/stove/storage kit or a full-on campervan conversion. There’s certainly no lack of creativity among VW Bus lovers (as we saw at the three-row unveiling & classic VW meetup), so we’re interested to see what people end up doing with this new platform.
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Leading electric vehicle analyst, author, and industry thought leaders Loren McDonald and Bill Ferro stop by Quick Charge to discuss EV Adoption’s acquisition by Paren, the “crisis” of EV charging reliability, and the real state of the EV market.
Depending on who you listen, EVs are either driving brands to record growth and are about cross that critical 10% of the overall market nationwide, or the future is bleak, the market is down, and EVs just aren’t selling. What’s really going on? Loren and Bill (probably) have some answers.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Click here to learn more.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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Chevy EV owners in Texas who have Reliant as their electric utility can now charge for free at night with renewable energy.
Over 150 Chevrolet dealerships across Texas are now offering the Reliant Free Charge Nights plan to new EV buyers. With Free Charge Nights, customers can offset their charging costs by receiving credits for electricity used between 11 pm and 6 am. The plan is powered entirely by renewable energy, thanks to the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Rasesh Patel, president of NRG Consumer, says the plan is about making power personal: “We’re excited to help Chevrolet EV drivers offset the cost of charging their vehicle all while having access to a renewable electricity plan.”
This collaboration aims to make EV adoption more appealing by making charging cheaper and greener. GM Energy’s chief revenue officer, Aseem Kapur, emphasized that partnerships like this help build the ecosystem needed to support an all-electric future: “The Reliant Free Charge Nights plan is a great example of how an automaker and an energy company can work together to make EV adoption an easy decision.”
Existing Reliant customers can also sign up for the Free Charge Nights plan. To get started, Chevrolet EV owners need to designate their vehicle on the GM Energy Smart Charging Portal before enrolling in the plan.
Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, serves over 1.5 million customers in Texas, making it one of the largest electricity providers in the state.
Read more: Texas to get 1 GW AI-powered virtual power plant, enough to power 200,000 homes
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Texas is about to get a major power boost – a new AI-powered virtual power plant (VPP) delivering capacity equivalent to 200,000 homes during peak demand.
NRG Energy is teaming up with Renew Home to bring nearly 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity to the Texas grid by 2035, aiming to make it more resilient while helping residents save on energy costs.
The new VPP will rely on hundreds of thousands of smart thermostats and other connected home devices, making use of AI technology provided by Google Cloud. These devices, like Vivint and Nest smart thermostats, will be offered to eligible customers at no cost. By automating HVAC adjustments, they help shift energy use to when electricity is cheaper, cleaner, and less strained.
NRG and Renew Home have big plans for the VPP. Starting in spring 2025, the companies plan to roll out the program across Texas, installing these smart thermostats in homes served by NRG’s retail electricity providers. Eventually, they plan to add home battery storage and EVs to expand the power plant’s capabilities.
Texas has faced record-breaking energy demands, with peak usage hitting 85 GW in 2023. As the state’s population grows and extreme weather becomes more frequent, VPPs like this one could play a key role in stabilizing the grid. VPPs aggregate a lot of small-scale energy resources, from smart thermostats to home batteries, and use them to help balance supply and demand during times of high stress on the grid.
This nearly 1 GW VPP will be one of the largest of its kind in Texas. NRG’s president of consumer operations, Rasesh Patel, calls it a “pivotal step” for improving customer experience while making Texas’ energy infrastructure more sustainable and resilient.
In addition to Renew Home, NRG is working with Google Cloud to maximize the power plant’s effectiveness. Google Cloud’s AI and analytics tools will help predict weather conditions, forecast renewable generation, and optimize energy usage, all of which will help make energy management smoother for both customers and the grid.
Ben Brown, CEO of Renew Home, said:
NRG’s commitment to creating a more resilient and sustainable energy future while also making electricity bills more affordable makes them an ideal partner for co-developing this unique VPP program.
This initiative raises the bar for future-proofing our electricity infrastructure and delivering cost savings to customers.
Read: Chinese solar giant Trina sells its Texas factory a week after it opens
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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
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