>@simplytheresa is holding out for one of these
>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4103928/The-VW-camper-goes-hi-tech-Electric-powered-model-costing-45-000-host-gadgets-ability-drive-unveiled.html



https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/volkswagen-idbuzz-electric-van-launch-date/

It will sell, although I personally would never trust the self driving bit.

"22 inch wheels"  much better for 21st century, midwest potholes. :-)

If it is still $45k (which I sincerely doubt) that is half the price of an F-150 and cheaper than a bunch of the USED cars out there now. But if at $45k, I might buy one just for fun.

Thanks for the heads up! And it'd be coming at a good time as our current vehicles are starting to act as if they are ready to be put out to pasture.

Tom and I got a demo of some self-driving tech from our nephew and while not yet capable of handling winding mountain roads, I'm bullish on the highway driving potential.

And I'll keep my fingers crossed for the $45K price tag. If it really comes up at that price, it sounds like my dream vehicle.

Ha! Well, we're going to need a new car sooner or later. Might as well be one that simplytheresa is excited about.

If it's $45K, I'm down with that, but I'll be surprised especially since it was announced as AWD. That would make it the cheapest AWD vehicle on the market.

>buy one just for fun

But only if it has decent hvac.  My 70s VW Kombi van would freeze you, even in the front seats.  I hung a shower curtain being the front seats but you still needed a lap blanket.

I replaced a couple of VW heater boxes in the ca 1980 (because they would rust out in VT and there was a market in Texas heater boxes). Those vehicles had air-cooled engines and the "heater boxes" came off the engine (maybe took in rerouted exahust???) and then had ports in the car. They were fully passive. No fans. If the engine got really hot, you could cook eggs on the floor of the back seat. But until the engine got really hot and the heater boxes got really hot and a sort of chimney/convection thing got going, there was basically no heat. No A/C of course. But almost no cars in VT had A/C then.

I trust that 50 years of tech advances will come up with something better. In any case, an electric motor requires that it at least be different.

Mine had aftermarket AC. The blower unit was ceiling mount just behind the front seats. Not a bad setup.

It was under-powered.  I couldn't do 70 mph on the interstate unless I drafted a semi.  As it turned out, that was an OEM carb problem.  A buddy installed an aftermarket carb (Rochester, IIRC) and it would hit 80 or better.

0-60? Yes.

"VW is limiting the van's top speed to just 90 mph (145 km/h). Considering its ancestor could only hit 60 mph (usually while cruising downhill), this shouldn't be too disappointing to most customers."

2024 Volkswagen ID Buzz electric microbus revealed: less flower, more power - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/9/22967468/volkswagen-id-buzz-electric-microbus-photos-specs

As long as it can do 35 up a steep hill...

I don't think it looks like it would handle very well at 80, let alone 90. I think we're fine with this.

On the other hand....

>>670 charging stations across the US,

vs

>>There are about 115,000 gas stations in the U.S.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-many-gas-stations-are-in-us-how-many-will-there-be-in-10-years-2020-02-16

The article goes on to say that GM is building out a network of charging stations for their vehicles. If people had to drive around to find a GM station to fuel their Ram truck, passing Ford and Toyota and Kia stations along the way, people would go ballistic.

Tesla has a pilot program in four countries to allow non-Tesla cars to charge at select Tesla stations, but it's currently very limited which I find revolting (see what I did there?).

>fine with this

I have to have a van for my travel with med supplies.  Plus, we've had vans since the 80s and are used to having the space. 2WD is fine, even preferred, but I want 300 mi range at a minimum.  What I DO NOT want is a subscription-based ev phoning home every evening. That one might work
--we'll see.

You Don't Really Ever Own an EV – Review Geek
https://www.reviewgeek.com/111381/you-dont-really-ever-own-an-ev/

Also, Rivian just upped their prices by $12-20k.

Hey - I know I'm a bit late, but I'm back from dealing with a family emergency and was delighted to see the update on the IDBuzz progress. Thank you! I'm also disappointed both with the subscription-model services and also the fake noise-making at low speeds. As if our world wasn't noisy enough. Still, it's exciting to follow and I'm excited to see what they end up releasing.

EU:  After strong interest, VW plans to build 130,000 ID Buzzes a year | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/09/after-strong-interest-vw-plans-to-build-130000-id-buzzes-a-year/

What are VW's ev firmware subscription plans?

Oh boy! Though not responding here, you've just sent Theresa on a quest down the rabbit hole, finding other EV vans as well.

I wonder if the 2024 ID.Buzz will go on sale in late 2023, as is common for the new model years, or midway through 2024 (or not until 2025).

Unfortunately, info about subscription models for firmware and all that is diluted with all the coverage of a straight-up car "flexible" car subscription that is "between leasing and sharing" and being billed by VW as "its Business Model 2.0."

https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/press-releases/volkswagen-is-picking-up-the-pace-of-its-business-model-20-and-offering-car-subscriptions-from-today-7442
https://www.southernvolkswagengreenbrier.com/volkswagen-launches-all-new-ev-car-subscription-program/

Carnet, meanwhile, is $200/year
https://www.vwofakron.com/vwcarnet.html

[aside]I'm adding to the laws I will institute when declared King of the World that it will be henceforth illegal for marketing materials to use the words "just" or "only" in front of a price.[/aside]