The Budd-e minibus concept has been named the ‘2016 Concept Truck of the Year’ at North America’s annual Concept Vehicles of the Year Awards.
The production version of VW’s concept is expected to become the market’s first all-electric minibus when it hits the market in 2020 and will have to compete against Tesla’s own electric minibus, recently confirmed by Elon Musk himself.
The powertrain of the concept combines a 101 kWh battery pack with electric motors at both the front and rear axles, allowing the model to reach a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph).
One of its highlights is that its battery can be charged to 80 per cent of its capacity in a mere 15 minutes. Moreover, by the time production commences charging times should fall even further.