Volkswagen of America has unveiled an electric van
to celebrate the renaming of their Electronics Research Laboratory to the
Innovation and Engineering Center California. Dubbed the Type 20 concept, the
van is based on a 1962 Type 2 Microbus and features a variety of experimental
components including “tactile objects and interactive electronics.”
Looking decidedly cool, the van has a two-tone paint
job with a contrasting orange band at the bottom. Designers also created custom
wheels and mirror supports which feature an organic-inspired design that makes
them strong and lightweight.
Inside, drivers will find a front bench seat and a
custom steering wheel. The concept also has a stylish sectional and funky
carpeting with a geometric pattern. Elsewhere, the Type 20 has been
equipped with a Looking Glass II holographic display. Volkswagen says it
produces 3D images without the need for special glasses.
The van also has directional microphones and speech
recognition technology. One of the microphones is mounted outside and it
enables people to ‘speak’ to the vehicle. When this occurs, the car will
provide feedback via flashes of the LED headlights and Volkswagen logo. Motivation is provided by a 10
kWh battery which powers an electric motor that develops 120 hp and 235 Nm of torque.
Interestingly, the van rides on a custom active
pneumatic suspension which was developed in partnership with Porsche.
Volkswagen didn’t say much about, but the company revealed the Type 20 concept
will rise as drivers approach. The latter capability seems to be tied into the van’s real-time
facial recognition system. It uses a 720p wide-angle camera to identify people
using a Sensory SDK and a Nvidia Jetson TX2 prototyping package.
While the Type 20 is just a concept, Volkswagen will
offer a production version of the ID BUZZ concept. It will arrive in 2022 and
be an electric van which “taps in to the spirit and vibe that made the VW
Microbus such an iconic vehicle.”
