Volkswagen has suspended production of the all-electric ID. Buzz model in Hanover, Germany, with local media citing problems with the battery system.

Since Buzz production commenced earlier this month, VW Commercial Vehicles has manufactured about 500 examples. However, it has not yet delivered any to customers, making the situation vaguely similar to the Japanese recall affecting the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra. Though the sibling EVs from Asia were afflicted by faulty wheel hubs, Volkswagen’s van is reported to be cursed with problem battery cells. Considering the issues the company has had with battery suppliers in the past, one would think that VW would be well-positioned to deal with this problem. Unfortunately, the automaker has confirmed that these are new cells from a different supplier that is currently used exclusively on the ID. Buzz.

Early reporting on the issue was conducted by Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, before being picked up by Electrive for the English-speaking world. The good news is that there don’t appear to be any fire risks or defects so serious that the vehicles have been rendered undrivable. Instead, reports have suggested that the 82 kWh battery (77 kWh usable capacity) is underperforming – noting voltage drops that might affect range and acceleration.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the unit was eventually supposed to be slotted into other MEB-based products that have already suffered production delays. This presumably includes the ID.4 (which suffered software gremlins and a limited battery recall) and the ID.5 (which couldn’t get enough wiring harnesses in from Ukrainian suppliers).

A spokesperson for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles confirmed to electrive.net that only the ID. Buzz is affected – although other MEB models in the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 series with a battery with 77 kWh of usable energy content are also on offer. “It is a new battery cell from a different supplier that is currently only used in the ID.Buzz,” the spokesperson said. “Therefore, only the production in Hanover is affected, but not other locations.” However, he said, the new cell will later be used in other MEB models. The spokesman would not disclose which manufacturer was involved when asked.

This year, [Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles] targets producing up to 15,000 units of the ID.Buzz Pro and ID.Buzz Cargo EVs. After the ramp-up, up to 130,000 vehicles per year can be produced in Hanover in the future. Sales of both models reportedly began on 20 May. The passenger car variant ID.Buzz Pro starts at a gross list price of €64,581. The ID.Buzz Cargo is available for a net list price of €45,740 and €54,430 (gross).

It may be pure coincidence that currently, yet another battery problem with an MEB model became known – it is an isolated case. Norwegian eMobility Youtuber Björn Nyland recently had to abort a range test in a VW ID.5 GTX because the battery could only retrieve around 65 kWh of energy content. Usually, 77 kWh is the usable net energy content; gross, 82 kWh are installed in the vehicles. In the case of Nyland, VW Norway justified the measurements with a defective battery module.

For a company that seems to have bet everything on electrification, Volkswagen seems to be having a lot of trouble with its battery packs. But it would be unfair to say it was the only company facing headwinds. General Motors, Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Volkswagen have all issued battery-related recalls since February of 2020. In some cases, those recalls involved the manufacturer recommending against parking the vehicle in garages to minimize any additional risks posed by a potential fire hazard. LG Energy Solution has frequently been a supplier of note in these events. But we’ve seen other battery purveyors being similarly being blamed for what are becoming uncomfortably familiar issues.

The silver lining for VW is that the MEB platform makes it relatively easy to swap units. That should make the issue relatively easy to deal with, assuming the supplier is the one to blame. But things will be a little tougher if these problems come down to lapses in Volkswagen’s own quality assurance.

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Electrical gremlin in a German car? Didn’t see that one coming.

The more I see this vehicle, the more I like it. Can’t afford one so my attraction to it is a moot point.

If you do a GoFundMe, I’m in for 10 bucks.

I’ve got a 2013 Charger I like better. Thanks for the offer.

For all the complaints about Tesla, they don’t suffer problems like this.

Uh, you noticed that, too? Isn’t it amazing how much you can get right, when you have no other backup line to keep selling while you work out all the recalls?

Good point. I read somewhere that Tesla sources almost all of its’ batteries from Panasonic; the ones in question here are from LG. Maybe Panasonic has the magic battery mojo?

Exactly what I was thinking as I read the article. Tesla’s batteries have always been OK. Panasonic has supplied all the cells in North Americam Teslas, although about three years ago, Tesla started claiming firsts in cell technology for themselves, despite Panasonic running the show in the Gigafactory in Nevada. Probably Musk looking over his partner’s shoulders aiming to ultimately make cells himself after booting Panasonic out. In China where the Shanghai factory churns out more cars than any other Musk plant, they use lower capacity cells from at least two suppliers besides Panasonic. No problems.

No the problem seems to be LG, the over-promiser and under-deliver that has screwed GM, Mercedes and now VW. I’ve commented on that obviously second rate outfit before. They seem paranoid about losing any tender for batteries, so promise anything to get them. And then deliver junk. Ultium Bolt junk, for example. Must be a raving bunch of greedy fibbers running that company.

Lucky Goldstar, LG, the purveyors of the crappiest cheapo TVs 30 years ago. Complete junk seems baked into the company ethos, to my jaundiced eye.

For how many years now we’ve been promised this car, or some sort of variant on it? Why do I have this feeling that it’s never going to be sold here.

What? Rather Freudian. He was Austrian.

What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening? What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening? What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening? What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening? What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening? What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening? What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening? What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening? Why should you want to know? Don’t you mind about the future?

VW is going to release a retro Scout in EV form. VW which bought controlling interest in Navistar and owns the rights to the Scout.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39970134/volkswagen-scout-ev-revival/

I saw that a while back. Scouts, Bronco’s, and Jeeps have become very collectible. Manufacturers want to cash in on that market.

“82 kWh battery (77 kWh usable capacity)”

OK, stop that. Stop that right now.

It’s a 77kWh battery. I don’t give a fig about anything else.

Imagine if the carmakers had started down the path of “it’s a 16 gallon tank (12 gallons usable)”. You’d be all over them. OH no. This stops now. The line must be drawn HERE! THIS far! NO further!

You make a good point, but it appeals to me as a nerd engineer.

As you may know, the unusable portion serves as margin for at least two purposes: 1. It shrinks as the battery ages, extending the time the car retains its original range. 2. It accepts regen energy when the battery is “100%” full, so the car’s deceleration and braking characteristics remain constant.

On both points, my former 12 Leaf seemed to use nearly the whole battery. Degradation was noticeable after the first year. And on the few occasions when the battery was 100% full, regen was nil and I found it rolled down the first hill rather fast, unlike the night before. Applying the friction brakes didn’t activate regen if the battery was full, either. That could be unsettling.

In contrast, my 19 Ioniq 1 has 10% margin, so regen/brakes work the same all the time. And the range hasn’t changed.

But I think the day will come when even nerds don’t care to hear about unusable battery capacity. It’s like talking about the space under your passenger seat.

“It’s like talking about the space under your passenger seat.”

The correct approach to the right front passenger seat is to put a drawer under there which Chrysler used to do on their minivans but I don’t think they do anymore because car companies tend to forget all the best things about building useful vehicles.

The first generation minivans had that feature (it was even lockable), but no glovebox in the usual location. Did the underseat storage make it for subsequent generations too?

My old Mazda 323 had a passenger seat drawer. My current VW Rabbit doesn’t, but a Euro-market OEM accessory can add it to a Mk5 Golf/Rabbit/Jetta or Mk6 Golf, and it’s available in North America through third-party vendors. Haven’t checked to see if these are available for Mk7 or Mk8 Golfs or Jettas.

“…but it appeals to me as a nerd engineer.”

Leave it in your lab.

If the end user has access to 77kWh, it’s a 77kWh system.

Please stop going into hoary sausage-making detail about the farm the pig grew up on, the handcrafted grinding blades on the antique Amish hand grinder, and that old Vietnamese men cultivated the spices. The end user doesn’t care.

It’s worse than talking about the space under your passenger seat–unless the marketing people are adding that space to the “interior volume” number they slap on the brochure.

Americans don’t know things, and don’t want to know things. So they look at numbers. What? Moar bigger number? MUST BE BETTER! Give ’em the biggest number that exists anywhere in development!!!

“Americans don’t know things, and don’t want to know things. So they look at numbers. What? Moar bigger number? MUST BE BETTER! Give ’em the biggest number that exists anywhere in development!!!”

Well, I don’t think auto manufacturers deduct the fuel pump sump from the stated capacity, even though the pump can’t suck the tank completely dry. So the way EV makers are quoting capacity may not be completely different from the way gas car makers are doing it.

Already happened. American market BMW i3 REx had a 2.4 Gallon tank, but was software-limited to 1.9 Gallons to skirt regulations.

Most of these battery makers are used to producing cells for laptops and cell phones, where a defect here or there is not likely to be noticed, and the usage environment is relatively benign. Automobiles are a different story; it’s going to take a few years before the cell makers get their quality/reliability levels up to where they need to be for this market.

So will this battery issue affect Ducati E-bikes? (to raise the important question)

Wait, I can get a Ducati that doesn’t require a valve adjustent every other time I crank it up?

Best thing about a Ducati is the sound.

Possibly the most over-hyped new car intro ever, it’s been threatened as an actual product for 10 + years. Supra and Bronco pale in comparison. And every update seems to contain a thread of pending disappointment for the ID.Buzz. And with VAG group’s customary quality and electrical concerns, I’ll pass, despite how appealing the package is.

Yes, this intro is 5th gen Camaro long.

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