VW has brought four units of the all-electric ID.Buzz to South Africa as part of a series of trials that will determine the local market’s suitability for its electric vehicles (EVs).
The German carmaker has partnered with DHL Express for the pilot programme and will provide the ID.Buzz Cargo vans at DHL service centres located in three of the country’s biggest metropolitan hubs, Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg.
Looking ahead
The ID.Buzz is a delivery van designed for last-mile journeys in the supply chain, and the four units being supplied by Volkswagen will be used by DHL to assess its plans for its global zero emissions logistics target.
“Our partnership with DHL Express on the ID.Buzz Cargo test fleet marks the beginning of Volkswagen’s long-term plan to gradually introduce its electric vehicles in the local market,” said Thomas Milz, Director of Sales and Marketing.
“At the end of the pilot test, we hope to have gathered sufficient information and insights on the readiness of the local market for the introduction of a commercial electric vehicle such as the ID.Buzz Cargo.”
VW has not disclosed the specifications of its four test vehicles, but a look at the European models shows that the Buzz is powered by a 150kW electric motor, which connects to a 77kWh battery pack.
This allows it to travel for up to 415km on a single charge, and topping up the power bank from 5% to 80% can take as little as 30 minutes when using a 170kW DC cable.
Regarding its utility, the panel van offers 3,900 litres of storage, helped out by a load area with flat sides that make it easier to align various parcels. It can carry a payload of up to 647kg, too.
DHL said that the new vehicles are part of its plan to have 60% of its fleet consist of EVs by 2030.
VW’s electric future in South Africa
The Wolfsburg-based manufacturer has hinted at the introduction of its ID. series of electric cars in South Africa for years, but nothing has happened so far.
In 2021, the company said it would launch the ID.4 crossover on our shores in 2022, but the year came and went and the vehicle has still not made an appearance as of late 2023.
Earlier this year, VW confirmed to TopAuto that it was still busy with the finalization of its EV strategy, but did not elaborate further.
The testing of these new ID.Buzz units therefore serve to indicate that the company is one step closer to its electric rollout and, depending on the success of its pilot, it’s possible that South Africa’s second-largest car brand may consider launching its first electric passenger models within the next year or two.
Electric VW ID.2 all Concept
VW South Africa is under more pressure to electrify than most other auto names, owing to the fact that the Polo hatchback is produced in the Eastern Cape and is a major export to Europe – a market that will be phasing out internal combustion engines by 2035.
The company’s CEO has warned that this could lead to the Polo being axed entirely as the cost of converting it to an EV would be too high and the brand would rather shift focus to something like the ID.2all and ID.3 as potential replacements.
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