ID.Buzz California electric camper delayed by Volkswagen

author: FutureCar Staff    

If you were eagerly anticipating the release of the Volkswagen ID.Buzz California, a full-fledged electric camper van, you'll have to wait a little longer. Despite ongoing work, Volkswagen has no plans to release an ID.Buzz California anytime soon.

While fully electric camper vans are feasible, VW commercial vehicles will not be offering one in the near future. Despite the high demand for an electric camper version of the ID.Buzz, Volkswagen has determined that it would be too heavy. According to VW commercial vehicles, equipping the all-electric camper with the same features as the current VW California would result in a weight of at least three tons.

As a result, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz California would exceed the weight limit for European category B driving licenses (up to 3.5 tons total weight) based on its payload.

Therefore, the upcoming VW California 6.1 will not be based on the ID.Buzz and will not retain its name. Instead, it will be known as the Multivan.

VW will be unveiling its "California Concept" at the Dusseldorf Caravan Salon, which will take place from August 25 to September 3, 2023. This concept will be based on VW's Multivan, featuring a long wheelbase and hybrid drivetrain.

According to reports, the production version of the concept is scheduled to begin rolling out next summer at VW Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Germany.

While Volkswagen is not ruling out the possibility of an ID.Buzz California, bringing it to market within this decade poses a challenge. The camper version would require new battery technology with increased energy density, range, and lower costs, which VW will continue to develop over the next few years.

Despite the delay in the electric camper version, the ID.Buzz has already garnered significant demand since its launch last year. In the first half of this year, 2,279 ID.Buzz models were registered, with an additional 536 registrations in July alone. This growth has likely propelled Volkswagen ahead of Tesla in EV registrations in Germany through July of this year.

While Volkswagen may not have the technology currently to make the ID.Buzz California practical, other companies have demonstrated the feasibility of all-electric campers. For example, Winnebago offers an all-electric camper, and other companies provide extension kits for camper conversions, such as Alpincamper or TC Conversion. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz has released its VAN.EA platform in May, which will serve as the foundation for its next-generation electric vans, including campers.

While it may be possible to create an ID.Buzz California, Volkswagen is currently lacking the necessary technology. To address this, the German automaker has recently partnered with several external companies, such as XPeng and Hyundai Mobis, to outsource EV technology.

FutureCar Staff