The VW ID Buzz Cargo is not the first electric van that ever there was, but it feels like one of the more significant - not least because it's built as an EV from the outset rather than adapted from ICE architecture. Along with the upcoming Ford E-Transit Custom, the VW promises a big change to the average white van experience.
All things considered, it’s even priced competitively, which hasn’t always been the case with electric VWs. It’s been announced that the range kicks off at £38,125 for the Commerce model, which gets a heated drivers seat, parking sensors and CarPlay/Android Auto as standard. Though that price excludes VAT and OTR costs, bear in mind that its current closest rivals - the related Citroen e-Dispatch, Peugeot e-Expert, Toyota Proace Electric and Vauxhall Vivaro-e quadrumvirate - start from £44k, and it’s apparent the VW is in the same ballpark. A Renault Master E-Tech is £45,160, too.
Those that require a few more creature comforts can opt for the ID Buzz Commerce Plus. For £42,375 (again without the vodka and tonic), buyers will get upgraded to a spec that features a rear-view camera (which sounds very handy), heated screen, keyless entry and the Discover Pro nav. VW says those prices include the first three services and the first MOT as well.
Both ID Buzz Cargos, like the passenger equivalent, use a 77kWh battery, which means a range of up 256 miles. That’s a useful advantage over rivals, too, none of which can yet muster more than 200 from a charge. A 170kW max charge capacity means, in theory, that the battery could be boosted to 80 per cent from five per cent in half an hour, which is only a quarter of a builder’s lunch anyway. And it still does van stuff: VW is seemingly obliged to mention at every opportunity the ability to carry two Euro pallets sideways, and the ID Buzz Cargo can also tow 1,000kg. Customers have the option of two or three seats up front. Orders open from August, so expect to see the ID Buzz Cargo on UK roads (and in Wickes, or at the coffee wholesalers) before the year is out...
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