Volkswagen Is Bringing The Microbus Back As An Electric Vehicle In 2022

As an aging yuppie wook at heart who just wants to spend all his days on Phish and Dead tour, I’ve always wanted to criss-cross the country in a VW Bus. There are only one very-real problem for this wook #vanlife dream: The old school Volkswagon Vanagons from the 60s – 80s break down like crazy and I’m notoriously terrible at anything involving automobile maintenance.

But there’s good news! Come 2022, VW will turn an electric bus concept into a consumer reality. It will also be 100% electric, since green is the future:

The I.D. Buzz is the second EV concept that VW has revealed for production, along with the original I.D. concept slated to enter production around 2019 as a 2020 model, while the I.D. Crozz concept has shown how an electric VW SUV could look. All three use VW’s Modular Electric Drive kit (or MEB, for its German acronym), a group of components and chassis parts engineered to maximize the potential of electric drive and future technology.

Designed to recall the original Type 1 Microbus without mimicking it, the I.D. Buzz concept has won several awards in the months since it was revealed at the Detroit Auto Show. The front V in the bodywork calls back to the two-tone predecessor on the original Bus, but in the I.D. Buzz carries a light strip that surrounds the vehicle and gives it a unique visual signature. The LED headlights have hexagonal segments that act as “eyes” to communicate the vehicle’s status. With near-zero body overhangs and 22-inch wheels, the I.D. Buzz manages to look modern and timeless, one of the hallmarks of Volkswagen brand design.

The first VW Bus sold in the United States in 1950 had all of 30 hp. The I.D. Buzz concept sports 369 hp from electric motors on each axle that also provide all wheel drive and the 111 kWh battery pack in the floor of the MEB chassis provide nearly 300 miles of estimated range. Using a VW fast-charge system, the it can recharge about 80 percent of its energy capacity in 30 minutes at 150 kW.

Can’t wait to drive this thing up to The Gorge for a Phish show. Never needed a car more in my life.

Here’s tour of this badass vehicle:

Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, writing on this site since 2009. He writes about sports, music, men's fashion, outdoor gear, traveling, skiing, and epic adventures. Based in Los Angeles, he also enjoys interviewing athletes and entertainers. Proud Penn State alum, former New Yorker. Email: brandon@brobible.com