Volkswagen ID. Buzz to drive logistics giant Down Under

Volkswagen Group Australia has announced a partnership with fellow German giant Jungheinrich, as part of the intralogistics giant’s network expansion into Melbourne’s south-east.

Jungheinrich Australia managing director Axel Knigge was handed the keys to a pair of custom liveried Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo electric vans by VW Group Australia’s managing director Karsten Seifert. Both are already in service in Melbourne and Sydney.

The partnership forms part of Jungheinrich Australia’s strategy to shift its service fleet to low-emission vehicles, and achieve net zero emissions across its global chain by 2050 – including full electrification of its owned vehicle fleet.

Volkswagen is already a long-standing partner for Jungheinrich globally, with one-third of the German intralogistics giant’s 5000-strong service fleet supplied by the German brand including the Caddy and Transporter vans as well as the Amarok dual-cab ute.

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The Jungheinrich ID. Buzz Cargo vans feature a special livery design to commemorate the company’s over 70-year history: the left side shows a historic Volkswagen T2 service van with a 1953 Jungheinrich forklift, with the right side donning a modern Jungheinrich lithium-ion electric forklift.

Atop the roof is a “sustainably crafted wooden surfboard”, which Volkswagen says “adds a playful nod to the VW van’s coastal legacy, perfectly fitting to Australia”.

Fun fact: The T2-generation VW service van was the base of the German auto giant’s first foray into electric transport some 50 years ago.

The VW T2 Elektro Transporter of the 1970s was powered by a 21.6kWh lead-acid battery offering “about 85km” of range and even featured an ‘engine recovery system’ which captured “some of” the kinetic energy generated under braking to charge the battery – the early days of regen braking.

Jungheinrich says the ID. Buzz Cargo fits its needs as its Australian service technicians may travel “up to 350km per day”, and may need to respond to “urgent, unplanned service calls”. The VW’s claimed 431km of driving range on the WLTP cycle should be more than up to task, then.

The cargo van can also carry two Euro pallets, while its 84kWh lithium-ion battery (four times the density of the T2 Elektro) can be charged from 5 to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes using a fast charger thanks to its 185kW DC charging capacity.

Above: Karsten Seifert and Axel Knigge

“In 2008, Jungheinrich was the first manufacturer to bring lithium-ion technology into series production. That innovation helped reduce emissions and increase productivity,” said Axel Knigge, Jungheinrich Australia’s managing director.

“We’re now taking another major step forward electrifying our service fleet and delivering sustainable service to our customers – and the ID. Buzz Cargo is a major asset: low maintenance costs, zero emissions, and impressive real-world range.

“Jungheinrich stands for premium German-engineered products, expert advice, and the best solution in terms of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and high operational readiness. We are always looking for partners who share our values and continuously improve ourselves.”

Karsten Seifert, managing director for Volkswagen Group Australia, added: “By combining Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ reliability and innovation with Jungheinrich’s expertise in material handling, we’re driving efficiency, sustainability and progress across the supply chain together”.

Jungheinrich is one of the first companies in Australia to integrate the ID. Buzz Cargo into its operations.

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