Something to look forward to: The cutesy little eBussy from ElectricBrands may only exist as a concept for now, but the German company plans to build and sell the light commercial vehicle next year. Provided it can sort everything out for a smooth launch in such a short time, the eBussy could potentially sell like hotcakes, given it offers a ton of customization with support for up to 10 different body styles to suit a variety of seating/cargo configurations, including camper van, pickup, bus, off-road cabriolet and more. It can also switch to left- or right-hand drive on the fly, features solar charging, and is set to have a surprisingly low starting price of just over $18,000 for the 10kWh 200km range base model.
Intelligently designed cars with unassuming simplicity often rate high on a car enthusiast's list. The eBussy with its box on wheels profile is just as charming as something like a Suzuki Jimny and carries a friendly fascia that seems heavily inspired by the Honda e.
Unlike those two cars, however, this vehicle is yet to appear on public roads, and the company behind it is pitching it to be more than just a car. With a highly modular platform, that literally is the case as the eBussy would be available in a variety of flavors, including bus, kipper, pickup, convertible, camper, transporter, and 'koffer.'
In terms of powertrain, the eBussy will feature AWD across the entire range and start with a small 10 kWh battery pack with a claimed range of up to 200 km (124 mi). This can be extended to 600 km (373 mi) with a larger 30 kWh unit. A 15 kWh (20 hp) motor provides propulsion, which seems puny but will reportedly deliver a mighty 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque, precisely the reason why the eBussy with its light curb weight of 450-600 kg is rated to support payloads of up to 1,000 kg.
Solar panels integrated into the EV's roof can add another 200 km/day to the aforementioned range, alongside any extra juice gained from regenerative braking. ElectricBrands also notes a top speed of just over 90 km/h, which seems adequate for some light off-roading, campervanning, delivering cargo, and carrying out other small commercial duties.
The eBussy also has a movable instrument panel that will allow for left- or right-hand steering on the fly. According to the chosen body style, the batteries which occupy the floor, can either be accessed via under-bed lockers (pickup, dump truck) or slide-out trays in the rear (transporter, bus, camper).
Given its small footprint, there's only space for up to 4 people inside, meaning that the eBussy won't be able to compete with Volkswagen's upcoming I.D Buzz EV as it offers half the seating capacity. It could, however, arrive much sooner than VW's reimagined microbus and release at a much lower starting price point of just over $18,000.