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Volkswagen Unveils 'ID Buzz' Electric Microbus Concept (ibtimes.co.uk)

Posted by BeauHD on from the what's-the-buzz-all-about dept.

New submitter drunkdrone quotes a report from International Business Times: Given the emissions scandal that rocked Volkswagen in 2015, we reckon Scooby Doo and the gang would opt for something a little more environmentally-sound were they to be reinvented for the 21st Century. VW's new ID Buzz electric concept car, unveiled at the International Auto Show in Detroit on 8 January, is exactly the sort of thing we can imagine the overbearing talking dog and four meddlesome kids driving around in today. The ID Buzz is the second electric concept vehicle to come from Volkswagen in recent months, following the VW I.D. concept car unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September 2016. The ID Buzz is a re-imagining of sorts of the German automaker's classic VW Microbus, with 'Buzz' being a phonetic play on 'bus' and, according to VW, "refers to the silent buzzing of the drive system." The all-electric van boasts a driving range of up to 270 miles, which VW says is comparable to traditional petrol-powered vehicles, and features a "fully-autonomous" mode that allows the driver's seat to swing round 180 degrees for a more social seating arrangement. Additional cutting-edge features include a heads-up display that projects navigational information as augmented reality images, which can appear as directional cues as much as 49 feet ahead of the car. This provides a more visual system that marks directions on the road itself, rather than having to rely on a 2D image as in the case with traditional sat-navs. VW calls the effect "astonishingly realistic."

52 comments

  1. Silent Buzzing? by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "refers to the silent buzzing of the drive system."

    If it's buzzing, then it isn't silent.

    1. Re:Silent Buzzing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is if you only *feel* the buzz.

    2. Re:Silent Buzzing? by SeaFox · · Score: 3, Funny

      If it's buzzing, then it isn't silent.

      True, but I think their point it it wont bee that noisy.

    3. Re:Silent Buzzing? by zieroh · · Score: 1

      True, but I think their point it it wont bee that noisy.

      I see what you did there.

      --
      People who say "sheeple" have about as much sophistication as an AOL user, and in fact are probably actually AOL users.
    4. Re:Silent Buzzing? by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 1

      It is if you only *feel* the buzz.

      So, back to the 70's?
      Cool, maybe this time I'll remember them...

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    5. Re:Silent Buzzing? by matbury6017 · · Score: 1

      I wish I had some points to mod this up :)

    6. Re:Silent Buzzing? by matbury6017 · · Score: 1

      BTW, if it's spelled "Buzz," the German pronunciation sounds more like "butts" than "bus." Americans can get excited about driving their butts around and seeing how many people they can fit in their butts. Do you think they're holding a grudge because Americans exposed their oh so clever but fraudulent emissions software?

    7. Re:Silent Buzzing? by MouseR · · Score: 0

      This is their fourth prototype being glared in the public eye, just to make us forget about dieselgate.

      Die, VW. The Hitler car has run out of gas.

    8. Re:Silent Buzzing? by mjwx · · Score: 1

      "refers to the silent buzzing of the drive system."

      If it's buzzing, then it isn't silent.

      That's the problem with EV's. They still make a crapload of noise. Most of the noise you get from ICE cars is road noise rather than engine or exhaust noise. Well for petrol cars at least. The majority of the noise comes from the tyres impacting against the road surface. You have the same issue with EV's. You also have wind noise at high speeds.

      I used to have a 90's Civic VTi with the D16 engine, that thing was silent. You had to ramp it past 5000 RPM for it to become noticeable over the road noise.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    9. Re:Silent Buzzing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I remember a buzz inside a friends VW Bus, sitting in the high school parking lot.

  2. Somebody help drunkdrone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Soon.

  3. ten four by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "And eleven long haired Friends of Jesus in a Chartreuse microbus"

  4. mystery machine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    mystery machine was not a vw microbus

    1. Re:mystery machine by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      And in their Harvey Birdman Interpretation, Scooby Doo and Shaggy were not exactly worried about massive CO2 emissions.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  5. Who cares? by DogDudeIsCool · · Score: 0, Troll

    I mean this literally... other than microbus salespeople, who cares? Every decade or two, when it's time to get a new microbus, I go to the microbus store, and I buy something that they have in stock, within my budget. I couldn't care if it was gasoline, electric, or FairyDust powered. A microbus is a microbus is a microbus.

    1. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      What are you doing on a news for nerds site? A microbus is a microbus is a microbus within the bounds of each technology. When a microbus technology comes through an revolutionises driving and transportation people care.

      I won't buy another microbus till my current one dies, but I care to see progress rather than the world settling for the "it's just an idiot microbus" attitude. Interestingly you cared enough about it to post. Thanks for showing an interest in the story.

    2. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      DogDudeIsCool has five posts so far today. They all read nearly the same. Don't get too worked up over someone's comments. Literally...

  6. Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 5, Funny

    - Insert obligatory Slashdot 'electric vehicle' responses here -

    [Response 1: My commute is 300 miles! As a result this electric vehicle is useless for everyone!]

    [Response 2: Some electricity is coal-generated! As a result, in all jurisdictions, this car is more polluting than a 1973 VW Microbus!]

    1. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      [Response 1: My commute is 300 miles! As a result this electric vehicle is useless for everyone!]

      Variation: Once a month, I go visit my parents/grandparents/sweetheart/cat 300 miles away! Between the people who drive 300 miles to work and people like me who travel a long distance once a month, it won't work!

    2. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by zieroh · · Score: 1

      Variation: Once a month, I go visit my parents/grandparents/sweetheart/cat 300 miles away! Between the people who drive 300 miles to work and people like me who travel a long distance once a month, it won't work!

      Take the wife's car.

      --
      People who say "sheeple" have about as much sophistication as an AOL user, and in fact are probably actually AOL users.
    3. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by Kevoco · · Score: 1

      But her car IS the electric car

    4. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      [Response 3: My mother was killed by a electric vehicle, you insensitive clod!]

      [Response 4: I will only consider getting one when they add fins and mount a laser on the front.] ;)

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    5. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by Solandri · · Score: 2

      [Response 2: Some electricity is coal-generated! As a result, in all jurisdictions, this car is more polluting than a 1973 VW Microbus!]

      It's actually worse than this. You can't look at electricity consumption overall. You have to look at the marginal increase in electricity production in response to adding a marginal increase in consumption (the EV). In nearly all locations, this added increase in consumption is met by electricity generated from burning coal or natural gas. So EVs are actually almost entirely fossil fuel powered.

      The only way an EV can be powered by renewables is if you added the renewable power generation specifically because of the increased demand due to EVs. That is, if the EVs hadn't increased demand, you wouldn't have built those renewable plants. Since that's almost never true* (those renewable plants would've been built anyway to replace fossil fuel plants), EVs are powered almost entirely by existing plants which increase their output in response to the increase in demand - coal and natural gas plants.

      If you don't believe that verbal logic, here's the math. Say a city generates 100 MWh from coal/gas and 100 MWh from renewables every month, for 200 MWh combined. Consumption is also 200 MWh. Now say you buy an EV which uses 300 kWh each month. Demand is now 200.3 MWh. The city has to increase generation to 200.3 MWh to match demand. It can't increase generation from renewables since those are fixed amounts based on how much the sun shines, the wind blows, and rain falls. So it increases generation by burning more coal and gas. So all of the 300 kWh the EV uses is generated from fossil fuels.

      "But my home has solar panels!" Ok, so the city generates 199.7 MWh, your solar panels generate 0.3 MWh. Total consumption of the city is 200 MWh. You buy the EV which which consumes 0.3 MWh. Consumption is now 200.3 MWh, and the city has to burn a little more coal or gas to generate 200.3 MWh. And your EV is powered by fossil fuels again.

      * The lone exception I've seen is Tesla buying SolarCity, to encourage buyers of Tesla vehicles to also get rooftop solar panels installed. In that case, the PV panels would not have been installed if the Tesla wasn't bought, so those Telsas are in fact being (partially) powered by solar.

    6. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by zieroh · · Score: 1

      Then take the other one. Problem solved!

      --
      People who say "sheeple" have about as much sophistication as an AOL user, and in fact are probably actually AOL users.
    7. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by zieroh · · Score: 1

      That's some twisted logic you've got there. Congratulations, you must be proud of yourself. But it's utter bullshit.

      Utilities will continue to add capacity as it becomes necessary, and that capacity increasingly (not always, but increasingly) comes from renewable sources. Furthermore, the technology curve tends to dictate that even when adding fossil-fuel-powered plants, the newer plants will tend to be cleaner and more efficient from the get-go than their decades-old predecessors.

      And if all that wasn't enough: upgrading a single power plant from dirty to clean improves the fleet emission levels of all the electric cars in the vicinity. Try doing that with a gasoline-powered fleet.

      --
      People who say "sheeple" have about as much sophistication as an AOL user, and in fact are probably actually AOL users.
    8. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 1

      Actally it is sound logic, you may just not follow. If you charge at night, you are not using any solar, so that leaves wind and other conventional sources. Wind output will be whatever it is, demand variances are the supplied by other sources.. If you charge during day peaks, solar output is not going to change, so the increase must be made from other sources. If we are not dispatching wind, then the increase isn't coming from wind either.

      Some can come from Hydro, which is dispatched

      Until we start dispatching wind or solar, any added load comes at the expense of increasing conventional output.

    9. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      * The lone exception I've seen is Tesla buying SolarCity, to encourage buyers of Tesla vehicles to also get rooftop solar panels installed. In that case, the PV panels would not have been installed if the Tesla wasn't bought, so those Telsas are in fact being (partially) powered by solar.

      Only if they are charging during the day OR using storage. Not if they are charging at night.

    10. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by iris-n · · Score: 1

      Wow, that is wonderful work of art, trying to argue that EVs are actually bad for the environment. Whichever company is hiring you to write that, they're using their money well.

      What's your next task, to prove that black is actually white? I'd love to read that one.

      --
      entropy happens
    11. Re:Insert Standard Slashdot Responses by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      How about:

      I tow for the Boy Scouts and personal camping, and need cargo capacity for camping gear for three people. I will happily buy a tow capible electric truck, but I don't see it happening any time soon.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  7. Not my style ... by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... of van.

    Now if they can come up with a modern version of a Chevy panel van. With porthole windows, cheesy mural, orange shag carpeting and a bumper sticker, "If this van's rocking, don't come knocking" they will have addressed my demographic.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:Not my style ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why? Have some 8 year old boys you need to visit?

    2. Re:Not my style ... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      AC beat me to it. I was going to ask if you hand out candy from the side door.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  8. Not horrible by Archfeld · · Score: 1

    The thing is not horrible looking. I like the idea of dual motors, would be even more impressed with 4 motors, one directly hooked to each wheel, but they are getting there. As for the noise, I've always wanted to have a recording of an old steam train instead of a car sound anyways, or maybe even an mp3 of horse hooves from a stage coach. The range seems a bit short, but in reality for most cases recharge time is more important than actual range. YMMV of course...

    --
    errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
    1. Re:Not horrible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The thing is not horrible looking."
      .
      I learned how to drive in my Parent's '68 Bus... My Sisters loved it. They stuck Crazy Daisies all over it. 1968 was the year of the Sliding Side Door and the 1600 Engine, and the Sapphire IX AM Radio, which hardly ever got turned off, although it was inaudible in the back seats. Somehow, it never ran the battery down.
      My Father's idea of starting it in the winter was to fire it off, while wearing his bathrobe, and then putting a brick on the accelerator. He would come out twenty minutes or so later, remove the brick, and take the now toasty bus into town. That Brick saw a lot of use. On long trips, it was the Cruise Control.
      My Mom also learned how to drive in it. She was by then approaching forty, and had some very odd ideas. Like she didn't like fourth gear, so she didn't use it. Which kept the top speed somewhere around 50mph, even on the freeway. She was the one who came up with the idea of stuffing the engine compartment with old sleeping bags to cut down on the infernal racket.
      Almost as a point of pride, the Bus was never washed. So it turned to a dull gray color over a decade. Finally, when it came time to sell it, I was given the task. I had gotten quite good at clambering on top to stow stuff on the roof rack without denting the very thin metal. When I was done.... the faded Crazy Daisies were gone, and the white paint looked brand new. Dirt is an excellent paint preservative. Just about as good as Crazy Daisies.

    2. Re:Not horrible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The 'thing', unfortunately, does not appear to be a real live 'thing' at all, and won't be until 2020 at the earliest. One wonders if VW will still be around then to turn the computer-generated image into an actual Combi.

    3. Re:Not horrible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not horrible is exactly the right way to describe it. It's not horrible, but it isn't anything else either. The old VW microbus had soul.

    4. Re:Not horrible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's just three years from now. What makes you think the worlds largest car producer would suddenly stop existing?

    5. Re:Not horrible by i.r.id10t · · Score: 1

      If you prefer the classic micro bus, the real VW bug, a Porsche 356 or 912 or 914, there is a company in Tampa that makes an electric conversion for anything that uses the 200mm clutch that all these cars have in common....

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
  9. Overbearing? by sheramil · · Score: 1

    From what I can remember, Scooby snickered a lot and had a speech impediment. How was he overbearing?

    1. Re:Overbearing? by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      Maybe he was thinking of Scrappy...

  10. New technology is clean by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For some reason, the public likes new technology when it comes to cell phones, and they have come around on HDTV and LED lights in the past few years. But, when it comes to buying new cars, the types of people who buy new cars aren't buying enough modern and futuristic electric vehicles. Cost and the sales pitch probably has something to do with it, but I think you will see more electric vehicles on the road in the next few years.

  11. omg by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the name is ok but the car is ugly. It's almost as ugly like an american car. Seriously germans, stop designing exteriors! Import some italian designers, they can shit out world class design without even trying lol...

    1. Re:omg by HornWumpus · · Score: 2

      Fiat Multipla

      The Italians have made some nice looking cars. They also made the ugliest car ever. They have yet to make a reliable car.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  12. Driver's seat can swivel 180 degrees w/ autopilot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The driver's seat can swivel around 180 degrees while in autonomous mode"

    Yikes!

  13. Re:Don't want by zieroh · · Score: 1

    Electric cars suck.

    I own one and can confidently state that, for some people, they can be awesome. I wouldn't trade mine for anything (unless that thing was also electric).

    --
    People who say "sheeple" have about as much sophistication as an AOL user, and in fact are probably actually AOL users.
  14. Just a ploy by whoever57 · · Score: 1

    This will never be built. It's just a ploy to help people forget about Dieselgate.

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    1. Re:Just a ploy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Diesel what?? Anyways, this van looks awesome. Go Volkswagen! You guys are awesome!

  15. Why not an electric Transporter? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can't they just build an electric Transporter? Why do manufacturers think electric cars need to be ugly? VW was showing the way with the e-Golf and the e-UP that are almost indistinguishable from their combustion engined brethren.

  16. Price? by ilsaloving · · Score: 1

    Considering that something like this probably costs an order of magnitude more than the old version did, I can't see the scooby gang in one anytime soon.

  17. Nothing new here... by thomn8r · · Score: 1

    They keep regurgitating the same "new microbus" design every couple of years when they have nothing else of interest to offer; IIRC the first version of this POS showed up in 2000 or so.

  18. Goldberg Award Winner! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are really going for that Goldberg award aren't you?

    explanation for the clueless...