Volkswagen’s Mobile Charging Robot can be summoned either with a free app or Car-to-X communication, and it operates completely autonomously. It’s capable of steering the vehicle to be charged and then communicates with it, whether that means opening the charging socket flap or connecting the plug / unplugging. The entire charging process happens without any human involvement whatsoever. To charge several electric vehicles simultaneously the mobile robot moves a trailer, or a mobile energy storage unit, to the vehicle, connects, and then uses this to charge the batteries. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
With the ability to travel 280 mpg, the Volkswagen XL1, a diesel-powered plug-in hybrid, is currently the world’s most fuel efficient car. It’s powered by a 0.8L two-cylinder diesel engine making 47 hp and 27 hp electric motor, for a combined output of 68 hp and 100 lb⋅ft of torque, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox sending power to the rear wheels. The production version boasts an all-electric range of 31-miles from the 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, while the 10-liter fuel tank is good for 250-miles of real world driving until the car needs to be refueled. Read more for two videos, including a test drive and an inside look.
Photo credit: Wicked Concepts
Its license plate is fittingly “HUGE BUG”, and rightfully so. A father and son duo took a 1959 Volkswagen Beetle and made it 40% larger. How so? It’s essentially a custom-built VW Beetle that rides atop the chassis of a 2010 Dodge Ram full-size pickup truck powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine up front. That’s right, it took 3,514 custom parts in the metal fabrication shop that he owns, including screws created from scratch because there were none that existed in their size. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: Aledekas Studio
Mexico-based Aldekas Studio has always been a fan of the original VW Beetle, or Volkswagen Type-1 as some call it, and what better way to salvage one than by turning its many parts into a go-kart. Called Bugkart Wasowski, this miniature vehicle repurposes the fenders, headlights, turn signals, a fender, and original chrome side mirrors into the Beetle’s distinctive shape. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Based on the fifth-generation Volkswagen Caddy, the Mini-Camper is designed for a small family who wants to go on a weekend adventure, without having to rent an RV or stay at a campsite. At night, the 15-square-foot panorama glass roof can be used for stargazing, but if you prefer to doze off in complete darkness, the windows can be darkened. In the rear, you’ll find lightweight camping chairs and a table from the California models, while two storage bags can be taken inside the home for simple loading. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: CarScoops
When entering any kind of parking garage, make sure that your motor skills are not impaired, or else you’ll end up like this guy. Put simply, this VW Passat driver in Switzerland approached a parking garage seemingly normal, but upon entering, something goes terribly wrong and the vehicle ends up slamming not only into the walls, but the gate meter itself. Read more for the footage.
When you cross a classic Volkswagen Type 2 bus with a single Rolls-Royce fighter jet engine, Oklahoma Willy is the result. Weighing in at 6,600-pounds, this crazy vehicle is completely street-legal with 5,000 horsepower. Built by Perry Watkins from Buckinghamshire, it started as a 1958 VW Bus and then after 6-years of hard work, a 1978 Rolls-Royce Viper 535 jet engine was added. Read more for a video and additional information.
Canadian couple Bill and Sandra transformed a VW Beetle into the Super Bugger. This vehicle is equal parts Volkswagen and camper that is great for road trips. Way back in the 1970s, a California-based company came up with the idea to convert the vehicle into a work of art, and thus the ‘Super Bugger’ was born. It was later sold for $6,000, and then Sandra inherited it after her father’s death, who bought the car back in the 80s. Read more for a video and additional information.
Kirk Strawn wanted to custom VW Bus that was unlike any other, and thus Walter The Bus was born. This super-sized version of the Volkswagen classic was custom-built on the chassis of a 1963 fire truck that was discovered in a junk yard. They took this vehicle and made the world’s biggest VW bus and named it after the Walter Truck Company whom originally built the fire truck. Read more for a video and additional information.
Love electric vehicles, but hate charging them? Volkswagen gives us a glimpse into the future of EV charging stations in the form of a mobile charging robot that takes over this task and drives to the electric car completely autonomously. Once summoned via app or V2X communication, the mobile robot drives itself to the vehicle that needs charging and communicates with it. It then automatically opens the charging socket flap to connect the plug to decoupling – the entire charging process occurs without any human interaction. Read more for a video and additional information.