46 | Rolling Stone | September 2019
LONG BEFORE #VANLIFE was a thing and Jerry
Garcia played his first guitar, the Volks wagen
microbus rolled off German assembly lines in- Roomy enough to pack with surfboards,
camping gear, or festival-going flower children,
it became an icon of the counterculture move-
ment before disappearing from U.S. showrooms
in 1979. But now, the VW Bus is roaring back
— silently. In 2022, Volkswagen plans to begin
producing a plug-in electric model, based
on the I.D. Buzz concept vehicle shown here,
which mimics the original van’s monolithic,
overhang-free look and boasts tech upgrades
including wraparound ambient LED lighting,
and near-autonomous driving features. A huge
battery will provide enough juice for the Bus to
travel up to 300 miles on a single charge, and it
will take an 80 percent charge in a half hour via
a DC fast charger (you’ll need to map out those
stations before hitting the road to trail Phish).
Unlike the anemic models of the past, which
made highway on-ramps harrowing, the plug-in
Bus will produce 369 horsepower — that’s more
than 15 times that of the OG van, more akin to
a muscle car. And the electric powertrain will
enable not just a “frunk,” or front trunk, as in
the Fifties-era models (which housed an engine
in the back), but plenty of interior flexibility.
Since the I.D. Buzz’s battery hides in the floor
and the two electric motors sit at the axles,
the cabin space above is rife with possibilities:
The concept vehicle features seats that can be
moved around on rails to face each other, turn
into tables, or fold flat. It’s more like a living
room than a car. “We want to guarantee that you
can sleep in it,” says Klaus Bischoff, Volkswagen’s
chief designer, who drove and camped in a clas-
sic Bus during high school. “The Type 2 moved a
generation and became a part of music and pop
culture. We had that in mind — striving to build
something soulful. This technology will help us
realize that.” Pricing hasn’t been announced, but
VW has stated that it won’t stray far from similar,
conventionally powered vehicles. Some analysts
have spec ulated it will start around $50,000. J.W.WHILE THE RICH SMELL of leather has been a hallmark of high-
end cars for decades, socially conscious buyers are changing
that. You can now order a Range Rover Velar or Evoque (left)
with a vegan interior featuring fabrics made from eucalyptus
and even recycled plastic bottles. Early next year, Volvo will
launch its plug-in Polestar 2 sedan with vegan seats, and
Tesla will soon offer its Model 3 and Model Y free of animal
products. Even mass brands like Ford are experimenting with
soybean-based foams and materials derived from algae oil. The
trend is near a “tipping point,” says Land Rover design director
Gerry McGovern. “Leather seats are a bit old-fashioned.” J.W.AN ALL-TIME LEGEND
KEEPS ON TRUCKIN’
VW IS REVIVING THE
TYPE 2 BUS — AND NOW
IT’S BATTERY-POWERED
INSIDE THE VEGAN CAR
WHEN IT COMES TO INTERIORS, THE DEFINITION
OF LUXURY IS NO LONGER LEATHER
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