The highly anticipated camper van from Volkswagen, called ID.Buzz California, has created quite a buzz since the announcement of its return to North America. Although the Buzz is yet to arrive in the United States, Europeans have had access to electric people-carrier models without the pop-up feature while the California version has been under development. Speculation suggests that the launch of the camper van may be postponed due to exceeding weight limits for standard European driving licenses.
A report from German publication Edison via Google Translatesuggests that the ID.Buzz California, if launched today, would weigh nearly 7,700 lbs or possibly more, surpassing the typical European category B motor vehicle license limit. Should the weight exceed 7,700 lbs, most European drivers would not be legally permitted to operate it without a C1 license, typically designated for commercial vehicles such as transport trucks. To address this concern, VW Commercial Vehicles is reportedly exploring options to reduce the weight of the camper van.
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The proposed Multivan camper concept. VW
Efforts to revise the maximum weight limit of 7,700 lbs under Category B have been under discussion since earlier this year within the European Commission, as reported by the German Automobile Club (ADAC). If the proposed changes go through, the new weight limit would be increased to 9,400 lbs, allowing the ID.Buzz California to be legally operated by ordinary drivers on European roads. Such modifications would also enable Europeans to explore heavier electric vehicles from the U.S., like the GMC Hummer EV. It appears plausible that VW would favor this outcome, as developing a lighter tent system or more efficient batteries to maintain range at a lower weight would necessitate significant time, financial, and engineering investments.
Although the all-electric California model faces a delay in its launch, Volkswagen’s plans to introduce a plug-in hybrid camper for the European market are progressing, as per Auto Express. This model will not be based on the ID.Buzz but on the Multivan, intended to replace the T6.1 California. Consequently, a fully battery-electric VW camper might not hit the market anytime soon. In response to inquiries about this report, a representative of Volkswagen Group of America informed The Drive that there is “no comment at the moment.”
Update August 11, 2023, 3:20 p.m. ET: Mark Gillies, Volkswagen’s North American Public Relations Director, contradicted the claims of a delay in the release of ID.Buzz California, stating that the information is “incorrect,” based on input from colleagues in Germany.
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