Volkswagen officially unveils its ID.Buzz EV, the hippie bus reborn

The Microbus is back, baby! Nearly 75 years since the first Volkswagen Type 2 rolled off its assembly line and into the annals of Americana as an icon of 1960s counterculture, VW is re-releasing the emblematic vehicle — this time as a full EV.

VW ID.Buzz interior
VW

VW executives took to the livestreaming stage on Wednesday ahead of SXSW 2022’s kickoff to debut the ID.Buzz, which will be available as both a people mover and a cargo van (dubbed the ID.Buzz Cargo) beginning this year. The ID.Buzz will appear in Europe first — arriving later in 2022 — and will be available with a number of options their American-market cousins will lack, including short-wheelbase and commercial-grade variants. There’s even a Level 4 self-driving version that will begin its Shared Riding Model pilot program in Hamburg in 2025. The American iterations will debut in 2023, Scott Keogh, CEO of VW America promised during the stream, and are slated to arrive in American showrooms in 2024.

ID Buzz California
VW

Volkswagen only had the European model to show off Wednesday, but Keogh noted that the US version would be “more stylized for the American marketplace” but has “no doubt that it will be worth the wait,” while teasing a California camper edition. The US version will have a slightly longer wheelbase and offer three rows of seating to the European version’s two. With its comparatively shorter wheelbase, the European model’s turning radius is a scant 11 meters, on par with the Ioniq 5 or the VW Golf.

ID Buzz beach
VW

The ID.Buzz is built atop VW’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB if you say it in German), and is actually the largest model to date developed for the platform. MEB is the same base Ford plans to use for one of its European market vehicles in 2023. 

The ID.buzz will come equipped with a 77-kWh battery pack (slightly smaller than the 82kWh pack in the ID.4, which is also MEB-based) with a 170 kw charging capacity powering a 150 kw rear motor. It will be capable of bidirectional charging, at least in the European model, enabling V2H (vehicle-to-home) energy transfers. 

The passenger model will seat five with 1.21 cubic meters (39.5 cubic feet) of cargo space while the Cargo will offer 3.9 cubic meters (137.7 cubic feet) by replacing the rear seats with a partition behind the front row. For the interior, VW designers took inspiration from the aesthetics of the Microbus, pulling style elements from the T1 generation of vehicle and matching seat cushions, dash panels and the door trim to the vehicle’s exterior paint color of which buyers will have their pick of seven solid-color options and four two-tone schemes (white + another color).

VW Buzz seats
ingo barenschee

The European version showcased a number of impressive autonomous driving features including Active Lane-Change Assist and Park Assist Plus as well as V2X data sharing, meaning the ID.Buzz can share road hazard information with both the enabled vehicles around it and the surrounding traffic infrastructure. OTA updates will be standard on the Buzz as well.     

ID Buzz interior
VW

The Cargo version will offer a number of customizable aspects including the choice between bench and bucket seats, as well as a tailgate vs twin swing-out rear doors vs double sliding side doors. Furthermore, VW will be offering a number of conversion options for the Buzz, which should allow service providers of all stripes to customize the vehicle to their specific needs. In terms of carrying capacity, the Cargo can haul up to 600 kg of stuff inside with another 100 kg of gear affixed to its roof. 

ID Buzz rear
VW

VW also noted during the presentation the extensive work it put into lessening environmental impacts arising from the ID.Buzz’s production. The interior upholstery is made completely animal-free — the steering wheel may be made of polyurethane, but VW executives swear that it has the same look and feel as leather. The seat covers, floor coverings and headliner are all similarly composed of recycled goods like marine plastic and old water bottles. Using these materials emits 32 percent less carbon than similar products would, according to the company. Overall, VW hopes to ​​cut its carbon emissions in Europe by 40 percent by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality as part of its Way to Zero plan by 2050.

‘Gotham Knights’ is scheduled to arrive on October 25th

Gotham Knights at last has a firm release date. The open-world co-op RPG will hit PC, PlayStation and Xbox on October 25th. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment initially planned to release Gotham Knights in 2021, but announced last March it would be delayed until this year.

Developer WB Games Montreal (which also made Batman: Arkham Origins) offered a first look at Gotham Knights at DC FanDome in August 2020. You can play as Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl or Red Hood as you try to take down the Court of Owls, a group of criminals that pulls the strings on Gotham’s elite from the shadows. You’ll also battle Mr. Freeze and the Penguin following the apparent death of Batman.

Rocksteady, which developed the other games in the Batman: Arkham series, has a Batman-adjacent title of its own in the works. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is also expected to arrive in 2022.

Substack’s new iOS reading app helps you follow subscriptions

You no longer have to read Substack articles on the web. As 9to5Macnotes, Substack has released its first mobile reading app for iPhone and iPad. The software will help you follow your subscriptions, with notifications when a favorite writer publishes a new story. You’ll find all media formats in a single place, too. The app will also help you discover new writers if you’re eager for more.

Android users will have to be patient. You can sign up for a waiting list, but it’s not clear when Substack’s app will be available for Google’s platform.

The iOS app should be helpful if you’re an avid Substack reader who’d rather not fire up a web browser just to catch up — it’s arguably overdue when rivals like Medium have offered mobile apps for years. It may be just as relevant for writers, for that matter. They won’t have to worry so much that you might miss an email alert, or skip a piece when you’re away from your desk.

Twitter tests in-app ‘shops’ for brands and businesses

Twitter is launching another experimental shopping feature, with in-app storefronts for brands and businesses.The feature, called Twitter Shops, builds on the “shop module” it launched last summer. But while the shop module only allows companies to sho…

Tinder now lets you background check your matches

Tinder is giving users in the US a way to conduct a background check on a potential match. Through the safety center (you can tap the blue shield icon anywhere in the app to get there), you can visit the website of Garbo, a non-profit background check platform.

Garbo typically only needs a person’s first name and phone number to surface information about them, as TechCrunch notes. It may ask for other details, such as the person’s age, if it can’t find anything about them at first.

The service will look for indicators of a history of violence. It has a database of more than a billion records of violent and harmful behavior, namely public records of arrests and convictions, as well as sex offender registry information. As part of its mission to create a more equitable background check platform, Garbo excludes some non-violent, non-harmful offenses, such as drug possession charges, loitering, curfew violations and minor driving tickets.

If a background check suggests the match has a history of violence, you’ll be encouraged to report them to Tinder. Match Group doesn’t allow anyone reported for violent crimes to use its dating services. Garbo will also offer users mental health resources and a way to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Tinder users will each be able to conduct up to two background searches for free (up to 500,000 across the entire US userbase). Beyond that, Garbo searches cost $2.50 as well as a processing fee. Tinder won’t take a cut. Garbo’s service is available via its own website for the same price.

The app’s parent company Match Group invested in Garbo last March. It plans to integrate the platform into its other dating apps to bolster user safety.

Nintendo delays ‘Advance Wars’ remake amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now affecting game launches. Nintendo has delayed the debut of Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp beyond its original April 8th target in light of “recent world events” — that is, the war. The company didn’t yet have a new release date and asked would-be players to “stay tuned.”

We’ve asked Nintendo if it can elaborate on the decision, but it’s not difficult to see potential reasons. The Advance Wars remake, like its predecessors, is a turn-based military strategy game where you capture cities and otherwise engage in all-out (if kid-friendly) warfare. Nintendo might not want to be seen as glamorizing war for kids at a time when the invasion of Ukraine has led to very real suffering.

The move follows Nintendo’s decision to halt digital sales in Russia. Game publishers like Ubisoft and Take-Two have also backed out of the Russian market.

The delay likely won’t deliver a significant blow to the Switch. Nintendo still has a healthy roster of games lined up for 2022, including Kirby and the Forgotten Land (March 25th) as well as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet later in the year. It does, however, hint at the possibility of more developers re-timing the launches of military-themed games out of sensitivity to the Ukraine conflict and its victims.

Elon Musk wants to reverse his $20 million SEC settlement

Elon Musk isn’t backing down in his rejuvenated campaign against the SEC. Ars Technicareports the Tesla chief has asked a federal court to terminate his $20 million settlement with the SEC in 2018 over claims the regulator both pressured him into an agreement and overstepped its limits. Musk felt “forced” to sign the consent decree at a time when Tesla’s financial health was at risk, according to the memorandum of law sent to the court. The EV executive also insisted in a declaration that he told the truth in tweets at the heart of the dispute — he maintained he really had been considering taking Tesla private and had secured funding.

Musk also characterized the SEC’s approach as “governmental abuse.” Officials were allegedly using the agreement to police Musk’s First Amendment free speech rights by requiring that he pass tweets through an approved monitor who would determine what he could say. The SEC has also made compliance “more onerous” than the settlement originally demanded, Musk’s attorney argued. The Commission supposedly interpreted the consent decree as granting powers it didn’t previously have, letting it issue subpoenas and otherwise conduct “never-ending investigations.”

Musk further called for an order determining that a November 2021 subpoena over insider trading allegations exceeded the SEC’s authority and was issued in “bad faith.” The Twitter poll in question was just meant to gather input, Musk claimed, and not a disclosure of information the exec would have to report to the SEC. The Commission is investigating whether or not Musk’s brother Kimbal was aware of the impending poll when he sold Tesla shares one day earlier.

The entrepreneur has routinely sparred with the SEC. He was teasing the agency mere days after announcing the 2018 settlement, and declared he could tweet what he wanted. Most recently, he and Tesla accused the SEC of mounting a “harassment campaign” to stifle his criticism of the government. The two contended the SEC couldn’t issue subpoenas without requiring court approval.

Musk might not want to count on victory, however. The court rejected the previous demands, arguing they weren’t specific enough. This latest effort is more focused, but it also hinges on the court accepting Musk’s version of events — and that’s far from guaranteed.

DOJ asked to investigate Amazon over possible obstruction of Congress

The House Judiciary Committee has asked the Department of Justice to investigate Amazon and some of the company’s leaders over a possible criminal obstruction of Congress. In their letter, which was seen by The Wall Street Journal, committee members from both sides of the aisle say Amazon declined to provide information related to an antitrust investigation. 

The same representatives — Jerrold Nadler, David Cicilline, Ken Buck, Matt Gaetz and Pramila Jayapal — asked Amazon in October to provide evidence to back up testimony about the use of third-party seller data.

Amazon “refused to turn over business documents or communications that would either corroborate its claims or correct the record,” the committee members wrote in their most recent letter. “And it appears to have done so to conceal the truth about its use of third-party sellers’ data to advantage its private-label business and its preferencing of private-label products in search results — subjects of the Committee’s investigation.”

“There’s no factual basis for this, as demonstrated in the huge volume of information we’ve provided over several years of good faith cooperation with this investigation,” an Amazon spokesperson told Engadget.

In 2020, Jeff Bezos, then the company’s CEO, told the committee Amazon doesn’t allow staff to use data from individual sellers to make competing products, but couldn’t guarantee “that policy has never been violated.” Executives also said in testimony that the company doesn’t use seller data to copy products and then promote its versions in search results, despitereportsto the contrary.

The committee opened an antitrust investigation into Amazon, Apple, Meta and Alphabet in 2019. Of the four, the members have only accused Amazon of illegally obstructing the process.

“Amazon repeatedly endeavored to thwart the Committee’s efforts to uncover the truth about Amazon’s business practices,” they wrote. “For this, it must be held accountable.” They informed the DOJ of “potentially criminal conduct by Amazon and certain of its executives.”

“Amazon’s misconduct demonstrates the need for both accountability and change,” Antitrust Subcommittee chair Cicilline wrote on Twitter. “The DOJ needs to determine whether Amazon’s conduct constitutes chargeable obstruction of Congress.”

Update 3/9 11:26AM ET: Added Amazon’s statement.