VW unveiled the BUDD-e electric van last month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - and they just announced plans to produce the fully-electric Microbus successor. Dr. Volkmar Tanneberger, head of electronic development at VW says that a production version of the BUDD-e concept will arrive by the end of the decade.
“You will see a car that looks a lot like this, on the MEB platform, reach production,” Dr. Tanneberger told Car Magazine. “I can’t say exactly when, but 2020 or thereabouts.”
Related: VW’s BUDD-e electrifies the iconic Microbus with a 373-mile driving range
In concept form, the BUDD-e features a 101 kWh lithium-ion battery that provides a driving range up to 373 miles. Since the production version is still about four years away, it could have a range over 400 miles, since battery technology continues to improve each year. The MEB platform will be used by several plug-in hybrid and fully electric models. “The basic idea is to develop a modular toolkit and take this flat battery idea into serial production, one motor on the front, one on the rear,” said Dr. Tanneberger.
While VW has confirmed that a production version of the BUDD-e concept will arrive in a few years, it remains to be seen if it will take more styling cues from the original Microbus.
Via Car Magazine
