ＥＶで復活「ワーゲンバス」　環境運動世代のシンボルなるか

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】最初のモデルが出荷されてから７０年、ヒッピー文化の象徴だった「ワーゲンバス」が、環境意識の高い世代に向けて電気自動車（ＥＶ）として復活した。（資料写真）
　独自動車大手フォルクスワーゲン（ＶＷ）は今週、ＥＶ市場に攻勢をかける主力シリーズ「ＩＤ．」の新型モデル「ＩＤ．Ｂｕｚｚ」を公開した。往時のワーゲンバスをほうふつとさせるミニバンだ。
　ＶＷの古典ともいえるワーゲンバスのデザインは、オランダ人の輸入業者だったベン・ポン氏の着想だった。１９４７年、独ボルフスブルクのＶＷ工場を訪れた同氏は、従業員が製作した運搬車に目がくぎ付けになった。
　丸みを帯びたこのミニバンはとりわけ米国で、ヒッピー世代の自由な思想のシンボルとして人気を集め、カリフォルニアのサーファーたちに大いに愛用された。
　ドイツの自動車専門家、フェルディナンド・デューデンホッファー氏によると、ＶＷは昔のワーゲンバスのポジティブなイメージにあやかることを期待しているという。
　「フラワーパワー運動の歴史に貢献した」ワーゲンバスの現代版は、気候変動対策を求める運動「フライデーズ・フォー・フューチャー（未来のための金曜日）」世代の車であり、「気候危機ヒッピー」のための車だと同氏はいう。
　だが、往年のワーゲンバスの愛好者から、新たなＥＶモデルへの支持を取り付けるのは、そう簡単ではないかもしれない。
　ワーゲンバスが象徴した「自由と独立」の精神は、充電が必要なＥＶ車がもたらす束縛と相いれない。
　ワーゲンバスを４台所有し、欧州横断もしたことがあるというローランド・グレーブナーさん（５２）は、「周りに何もない美しい場所で一夜を過ごすとき、すぐに行ける充電スタンドなんて、今後２０年たっても整備されないでしょう」と語る。
　また、７０年代後半からワーゲンバスを所有しているというハンス・トマさん（６２）も「ＩＤ．Ｂｕｚｚ」でできる冒険は「違うものになるはずです」と話した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/03/14-09:14）

Seventy years after its first model rolled off the factory line, Volkswagen is reinventing the VW bus, symbol of the hippy movement, for today's climate-conscious generation -- but some of its former afficionados remain to be convinced.
The German automaker will on Wednesday evening unveil the camper's latest iteration, known as the ID.Buzz, part of the flagship ID line with which Volkswagen is leading a multi-billion-euro charge into the electric car market.
Reviving the icon was a priority, group CEO Herbert Diess said recently in a question-and-answer session on the online forum Reddit.
The new model, with its curvy resemblance to the original VW campers that had their hey-day in the 60s and 70s, was a turning point for Volkswagen, according to German car market expert Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer.
Alongside the eye-catching passenger bus, Volkswagen will also present a particularly important cargo model with a potentially larger market, Dudenhoeffer says.
- Flower power -
The design classic was the inspiration of Dutch importer Ben Pon, whose eye was caught by an employee-built transport vehicle, when he visited the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg in 1947.
Following his eureka moment, Pon drafted the first plans and convinced VW to start production in March 1950, christening its second model after the Beetle.
The chubby camper, a symbol of liberty and free-thinking, was particularly successful in the United States, where it was embraced by the Californian surfer community.
The bus has become a pop culture mainstay, transporting Scooby-Doo through his adventures, as well as the cast of the cult independent film Little Miss Sunshine.
Volkswagen is hoping to build on the camper's positive image. The bus which contributed to the history of the flower power movement is now the car for the Fridays for Future generation and hippies of the climate crisis, according to Dudenhoeffer.
- Charging stations -
Winning over classic van-owners to the new electric model however might prove to be a little harder.
The ID.Buzz had taken on the V-shape on the bonnet of the original T1 camper, says Melanie Wolf, 33, member of a VW Bus-lovers club in Bavaria.
With her partner Tobias Toplak, 43, she regularly hits the open road in her 1973 camper van model, most recently taking it on a tour of Norway.
I am interested to see how Volkswagen pulls off the mash-up between the hipster world and the 'Bulli' mindset, says Tobias, using the camper's affectionate German nickname.
The spirit of liberty and independence on four wheels was difficult to match with the limited autonomy offered by electric motors, which need to be recharged, he says.
While there are no official figures, the ID.Buzz's range has been estimated at about 400 kilometres (250 miles) by the German motoring association ADAC.
In the most beautiful places, when you spend the night in the middle of nowhere, there won't be charging points even in another 20 years, says Roland Graebner, 52, who owns a quartet of old campers with which he has crossed Europe.
The fossil fuel-powered models are just so flexible, his partner Britta Kellermann, 53, says, even though she finds the electric model fascinating.
With the ID.Buzz the adventures you can have will certainly be different, concludes Hans Toma, 62, proud owner of a T2 camper from the late-70s.