Volkswagen Electrifies Beach Buggy

Volkswagen reinvents the original beach buggy as a contemporary new zero-emission open-top with the unveiling of its ID. Buggy concept ahead of the 2019 Geneva auto show.

The 2-seater, which VW claims can be produced in a variety of versions with either rear- or all-wheel drive, has been created to illustrate the versatility of the German automaker’s new MEB electric-vehicle platform.

Set to underpin a number of upcoming electric-powered VW models – including the automaker’s first dedicated EV, the new ID. 3 hatchback due to be unveiled before year’s end – the MEB platform supports a wide range of driveline combinations in front-, rear- and all-wheel-drive formats as well as varying battery combinations.

For the ID. Buggy the MEB platform uses a rear-mounted electric motor developing 201 hp and 228 lb.-ft. (309 Nm) of torque – a layout that mirrors that of the flat 4-cyl. gasoline-powered beach buggies made popular by the original Manx Meyers launched in 1964. The synchronous unit drives the rear wheels through a fixed-ratio gearbox, providing the VW concept with a claimed 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 7.2 seconds and limited top speed of 100 mph (161 km/h).

Energy for the motor is stored in a 62-kWh lithium-ion battery mounted within the concept’s flat floor structure and front end – the latter of which also houses the power electronics unit that converts direct-current electricity into alternating-current electricity to run the electric motor.

While it is yet to reveal a weight figure for the ID. Buggy, VW says its relatively small battery gives it a range of up to 155 miles (250 km) under the latest WLTP test procedure.

With a charging capacity of 100 kW, it also claims the battery can be charged to 80% of capacity within 30 minutes.

Besides showcasing the ID. Buggy at Geneva, VW also is previewing its plans for a mobile charging station service, which it says is close to production and planned to go into service in 2020. It works on the principle of a powerbank similar to that used to charge smartphones, albeit on a much larger and more powerful scale, with charging capacity of up to 360 kWh.

The ID. Buggy is the fifth in a series of concepts created to preview the models planned to support Volkswagen’s ID. electric car sub-brand, following the original ID. Hatch, ID. Buzz, ID. Crozz and ID. Vizzion.

With an exterior design inspired by the VW Beetle-based beach buggies of the 1960s, the ID. Buggy’s mission is to “take the driving fun of the past into the age of electric mobility.” As well as being conceived for driving over unpaved tracks, dunes and beaches, Volkswagen says it also is predestined for warm evenings in the city.

“The design of the ID. Buggy is the modern, retro-free interpretation of an icon. Unmistakably a buggy, and yet completely reconceived,” VW brand design boss Klaus Bischoff says.

It updates the original Manx Meyers beach buggy’s look with what Bischoff describes as a friendly face featuring a low-set bumper and round headlamps, which receive round daytime running lights and pupil-like dipped and main-beam projectors. “It’s a design cue that can be traced back to the Beetle and Microbus,” he says.

The body does without a grille or doors of any kind. As with the original beach buggy, the reinforced windshield is freestanding, without any additional support. Rollover protection is provided by a structure behind the cabin. The rear mirrors the look up front, with round taillamps and a bumper shaped like that up front.

Protection from sun and rain is provided by a composite fabric roof. It fastens to the windshield header rail and clips integrated into the rollover structure.

At 160.0 ins. (4,064 mm) in length, 74.4 ins. (1,890 mm) in width and 57.6 ins. (1,463 mm) in height, the ID. Buggy is 0.4 in. (10 mm) longer, 5.9 ins. (150 mm) wider and 0.7 in. (18 mm) higher than the existing sixth-generation Volkswagen Polo. It rides on a 104.3-in. (2,649-mm) wheelbase and tracks measuring 62.6 ins. (1,590 mm) wide at the front and 62.9 ins. (1,598 mm) at the rear.

The exterior’s minimalist theme also is present within the interior (below, left). Lacking a dashboard, many of the ID. Buggy’s controls are grouped within a hexagonal-shaped steering wheel.

Gear selection is via a small controller to the right of the steering wheel, with information displayed on a digital screen. Materials used throughout are waterproof.

Occupants sit on seats featuring integral headrests, with the upper seatbelt anchor points positioned within the rollover structure.

During the ID. Buggy’s unveiling in Geneva, VW reiterates its intention to offer the MEB platform not only to rival automakers but also to low-volume manufacturers and startup companies seeking to gain a foothold in the burgeoning EV market, saying, “It has the potential to become the new technical basis for the e-mobility for many manufacturers.”

Supporting this claim, VW says the aluminum, steel and plastic body used by the ID. Buggy is fully self-supporting and can be detached from the MEB platform.