While many van manufacturers are converting their existing models to electric, some are designing brand new models to make the most out of a fully electric-powered vehicle.
Volkswagen are doing both, and this week they unveiled the ID Buzz Cargo. Its exterior styling is a little retro, making it stand out from the other new vans on sale at the moment, but it is packed with modern features.
The ID Buzz Cargo will use a 204ps motor powered by a 82kWh battery, and is expected to get around 250 miles per charge with economical driving. A 170kW DC fast charging port means it only takes around 30mins to go from 5% to 80% charge.
In terms of size, the payload space compares to many of the small van leases currently available at Van Ninja. The load space is 3.9 cubic metres, a little larger than the VW Caddy (3.2) and Citroen Berlingo (3.5). While there’s no official maximum payload yet, it is expected to be in the region of 585kg. That’s a little lower than comparative diesel vehicles, but the van will likely have better performance because of it.
A few new systems are also being introduced with the ID Buzz. Car2X is a local warning system that utilises signals from other vehicles and the transport infrastructure to spot hazards in real time. Travel Assist, available as an optional extra, uses swarm data to allow partially automated driving and assisted lane changes.
While we haven’t seen a large number of applications for electric van leases at Van Ninja, we are predicting a strong increase over the next few years. To prepare for this, the team at Van Ninja are looking at leasing options for all of the new electric vans being released, including the VW ID Buzz.
