BUDD-e Concept Debuts at CES

VW BUDD-e Concept (Credit: © Volkswagen)

There have been plenty of rumors and speculation leading up to the reveal of Volkswagen’s all-electric van. Today, all of this is put to bed, as VW has officially unveiled this concept, which it has dubbed the BUDD-e. Dorky name aside, this van is actually pretty neat, in a tech nerd sort of way, and could be the springboard mainstream automakers need to make EVs a viable option.

Let’s first talk about the styling of the BUDD-e concept… It is a tad over the top, which is pretty typical for VW concepts. It features an LED-lit VW badge up front, wraparound LED headlights, a flat roof, a flow-through D-pillar, and a flat liftgate. Chances are there will be no production model that looks like this. Instead, this is simply an example of what VW’s new Modular Electric Toolkit – MEB, for short – is capable of.

VW BUDD-e Concept (Credit: © Volkswagen)

The MEB platform is capable of housing batteries within its floor, giving designers plenty of room to craft the cabin to fit maximum passengers and cargo. In this example, VW managed to squash down a 101 kWh battery small enough to fit into the floor, which gives this concept a respectable 373 miles of range on the New European Driving Cycle and a spacious cabin. What’s more, it charges to 80 percent of its capacity in a little as 15 minutes. This leap ahead could make gasoline-fueled vehicles more expendable in the future.

Inside, the BUDD-e concept is understandably futuristic. It features a button- and knob-less dashboard that instead houses a series of touchscreens. This system is dubbed the Active Indo Display, and it features a 12.3-inch configurable screen for the driver and a head unit. The latter has a 13.3-inch screen that is easily seen by front and rear passengers. Passengers can sort through various menus on this screen to show trip date, audio information, messages, and more.

VW BUDD-e Concept (Credit: © Volkswagen)

You may notice that the BUDD-e’s exterior lacks exterior mirrors. That is no accidental omission, as VW is just the latest automaker to install exterior cameras and screens inside the cabin in lieu of mirrors. This setup displays a live feed on both the passenger and driver sides of the van via a 5.9- and 7.9-inch screen, respectively.

While all of these futuristic details sound awesome, the vast majority of them are too advanced to become a reality by the end of the decade. VW does, however, feel that the EV tech could be ready for the masses by 2019. I am not too sure how much I believe that, but it would be awesome to see. Stay tuned for more details.