Few automakers have ever had a year quite like Volkswagen did in 2015. It started with the company on track to become the largest car builder in the world, bolting together everything from cheap hatchbacks to Bugattis. It ended with the same firm reeling from admissions it designed 11 million diesel cars that could lie on emissions tests around the world, forcing the removal of the CEO and several other executives.

Just a day after U.S. regulators sued over the diesel deceptions, Volkswagen revealed a concept car meant to change the topic. Meet the BUDD-e, a cutely named electric van designed to hearken to the Microbus of the ‘60s—and provide a road map for where VW plans to push into electric cars in the near future.

The BUDD-e (derived from the long-standing “Bulli” nickname for VW vans in Germany) sports several industry firsts. Thanks to a massive 101-kwh battery—larger than any available in an EV to date—VW says the BUDD-e could travel 373 miles on a full charge, with a max speed of 93 mph. That estimate is a bit high, as it’s based on an European test that’s far less strenuous for EVs than the ones used by U.S. regulators. Based on the gap from other EVs tested here and abroad, the Bulli would likely get more than 230 miles on a regular basis, less than the Tesla Model S.

The exterior of the BUDD-e was meant to recall the smooth, stub-nose end of the old VW Bus, but modern crash standards make some kind of long snout essential. Compared to VW’s most recent Bulli concept, the BUDD-e looks even more chiseled and less rounded than before; despite the friendly name, the face has a hint of anger in the grille.

Under the bodywork lies what VW calls its first true electric-vehicle chassis for future EV models. Following in Tesla’s footsteps, VW’s “modular electric toolkit” puts the battery pack in a flat layer between the wheels, powering an electric motor on each axle. No power ratings were provided, nor did VW talk much about the batteries themselves, but it did say it expected a similar car could be recharged multiple ways, and that by 2019 it expected a pack this size could be recharged to 80 percent capacity in 15 minutes.

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For all the anticipation over the BUDD-e’s exterior, it’s on the inside where VW wants to make its boldest statement. All of the controls on the BUDD-e are either through touchscreens, voice commands or gestures, from turning on the heat to opening the side doors with a wave. VW says the voice system can understand plain English questions rather than requiring specific phrases. And the passenger seat can swivel around to face rear seat occupants, who sit in a semicircle rather than on benches.

As it was displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show, BUDD-e has this year’s au courant sprinkling of connected tech that you never knew you needed, such as the ability to turn the lights on in your house as you approach, or find out what’s in your “smart” LG refrigerator from the road. There’s even a package drawer built into the rear underneath the hatch that can be used by delivery services as a parcel drop box; the ultimate Amazon Prime site.

All of this sounds intriguing, but the real point of BUDD-e lies in how far down the path of futuristic EVs VW is truly willing to travel. In the wake of its diesel scandal, new VW chief Herbert Diess has vowed a huge push into electrics, including an all-electric version of the Phaeton luxury sedan. W has plans to build a gas version of a new small van for U.S. consumption in the next few years, and given the fandom for the Microbus that still exists in the United States, even a part-electric model could draw some interest. Whether that would extend to forgiveness by American customers will be the real test of VW’s new charge.