When Volkswagen dropped the ID. Buzz, generally, we all fell in love with the big van’s retro styling—even me, InsideEVs’ resident carmudgeon. Yet, after the big dopamine rush from finally getting our retro-styled EV van wore off, it didn’t take long for my more rational side to examine the van’s technical capabilities with a more critical eye.
Yes, the van seats seven and in theory, should be a good road trip car. Yet, its un-aerodynamic body, high curb weight, and relatively low rated range say otherwise. I remained skeptical, though; I mean, what’s your real definition of a road trip? Is that recreating the “See the USA in your Chevrolet” era of scenic long drives across the country? Or, is it scooting across the state for the weekend to visit a family member you kind of don’t like but don’t want to be cut out of their will?
To me, the ID. Buzz’s capabilities seem like they’d be right up that alley. So while the ID. Buzz was in my possession, I took a mini road trip — driving from my home in Columbus, OH, all the way to just north of Detroit, MI.
Honestly, I don’t think it did too badly.
(Full Disclosure: Volkswagen gave me a 2025 ID. Buzz Pro S for a week.)
This single motor, RWD unit has a 91 kWh battery (86 kWh usable), good for an EPA rating of 234 miles. If you want a van identical to this one, it will set you back $66,040, including the destination fee.
Most auto journalists, when they get press vehicles on loan for evaluation, generally do pickup and delivery via a third-party fleet company. In central Ohio, I am definitely a little further away from the nearest fleet company than the writers and journos at places like Car & Driver or Automotive News. Yet, I’m not out of the Detroit sphere of service for a press car, even if I’m 213 miles away.
Now, I am fully aware that 213 miles sounds like cake for most EVs. Yet, you’d be surprised as to which cars can do it on one full charge and which can’t. The route is mostly freeway and country roads, with speeds generally sitting above 60 mph, not great for EVs that tend to excel at slower speeds. The Genesis GV70 Electrified did the journey with ease. So did the Kia EV9 and the Rivian R1S, even in the cold rain.
However, the Lexus RZ450e could barely manage 140 miles in ideal, warm and sunny conditions before needing to stop. Unsurprisingly, the Fiat 500e’s 42 kWh battery could only manage about 115 miles before recharging, which is surprisingly good for such a low-range vehicle not meant for road-tripping.
So, the ID. Buzz’s 234-mile range should be enough, no?
My journey started a little north of Columbus, actually. I didn’t charge the van at all the night prior, so I only had about 42% on hand, so I drove about 20 miles north to Delaware, OH to the EV GO station to charge to 100%. From 36% to 100%, it took about 45 minutes; not bad. I’m technically not going to count this as a “charging stop” since it really only took a few miles from my trip.
My new destination would be 189 miles away, with 24 miles cut off from my original starting point. Otherwise, the route was the same. I’d be on country roads and freeways that had a minimum speed limit of around 60 MPH. Michigan’s roads would generally hold steady at 70-75 mph.
I wish I could fill the body of this post with trials and tribulations of how hard it was to drive three-and-a-half hours, but I can’t. The only thing close to a problem is me not realizing that it was colder in Detroit than Ohio, 39 degrees F compared to the balmy 65 degrees F (18 degrees C), which was cold enough to increase my energy consumption.
By the time I reached the “Welcome To Michigan” sign, the car’s average consumption sank a mere 0.1 miles per kWh, down from 2.8 miles per kWh. The drop also caused the onboard navigation to ask me to consider adding a charging stop before reaching my destination. As it turns out, I didn’t even need to.
I drove the ID. Buzz the same speed as everyone else, I made no concessions on speed or for traffic—and it did exactly what it was supposed to do. The ID. Buzz covered the full 189-mile journey just fine. I averaged 64 mph, and the van returned 2.7 miles per kWh. It was returned to the fleet company at 14%, showing about 40 miles of range left. If that number was true, then the ID. Buzz was on track to achieve 229 miles of range, which is only about six miles lower than its actual advertised rating.
Perhaps some would say that this is a dismal over-the-road rating, and that my drive only proves just how not ready for prime-time EVs are. I don’t think that’s fair or true, though. I think for a lot of people, this roughly 200-mile drive is about their limit for driving in one sitting. But, if I were to continue on, it would only take me about another 45 minutes for the ID. Buzz to be ready for another 200-mile journey. Another 200 miles from Detroit could take me to Toronto. Or just outside of Chicago. That’s a full eight-hour driving day, done in a time that’s marginally longer than a gas-powered car.
I’m not going to say that the very real concerns about charging infrastructure do not apply here. Of course, they do. There’s a huge charging dead spot between Columbus and Detroit. If there weren’t any working DC fast chargers, then some of the other EVs I’ve driven along this route simply would not have made it. But, there are. So, what’s the problem?
We’ve still got a long way to go. But the more EVs I take on substantial distances, the less I’m convinced that it’s the car’s fault or that manufacturers need to give us more range that we’ll only use once in a blue moon.
Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com
