Volkswagen Unveils BUDD-e Concept Microbus At CES 2016

Volkswagen has unveiled the BUDD-e Concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016. The BUDD-e is a fully electric microbus concept that showcases VW's new Modular Electric Toolkit (MEB) platform.

VW claims that the BUDD-e's concept drivetrain will be able to run for 600 kilometers on a single charge of its 101 kWh battery by the end of the decade, bringing it on par with petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of range. VW claims that by 2019, a new highly efficient battery can be charged up to 80 percent of capacity in about 15 minutes; marking an operational breakthrough for EVs.

The BUDD-e will be powered by two electric motors, one on each axle, giving it four-wheel-drive and a 0 – 100km/h sprint time of 6.9 seconds.

Styling wise the BUDD-e concept features a V-shaped grille up front, which is reminiscent of the old VW bus. The grille features a rather large VW badge. The rear of the BUDD-e sees the tail lights wrap around the rear windscreen. The rear view mirrors have also been replaced by cameras. Overall, the BUDD-e is quite reminiscent of the Bulli concept.

Inside the BUDD-e concept, the MEB platform allows extra space inside thanks to the placement of the motors. The interiors of the BUDD-e are packed with technology and feature a very clean design.

VW has integrated the instrument cluster and center console together and this integrated system can be controlled using touch and gesture controls. Users will also be able to control devices at home through smart connectivity as part of the internet of things.