- Kia revealed its upcoming fully-electric light commercial vehicles at this weeks IAA Transportation in Hannover, as its gears up to start production of these new EVs next summer.
- With what Kia is calling its new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) concept, the OEM revealed three separate van concepts at the event.
- The manufacturer hopes to gain market share over its electric competitors by offering a competitive seven year, 150,000 kilometre warranty on the new electric vans, exceeding that of many rivals.
Kia’s electric vans to arrive as early as next year
The new fully-electric van platform, which Kia has called the ‘Platform Beyond Vehicle‘ architecture, will be adaptable to several different wheelbase lengths, allowing a whole host of body sizes and shapes to be built on the platform. The manufacturer demonstrated this with three different PBV-based concepts at IAA, including a PV5 in both people carrier and high-roofed form, set to compete with electric vans like the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, and a longer-wheelbase PV7. It also demonstrated how the new platform could accommodate a tipper body, for example.
Like other new EVs, such as Kia’s own EV6 and EV9 passenger cars, every PBV van will have vehicle-to-load capabilities, allowing work equipment to be powered directly from the van’s battery, through the charging interface. This will also allow vehicle-to-grid integration where available, helping to reduce cost of ownership of the van.
Kia has not been the only manufacturer to reveal upcoming electric vans at the commercial-centred event. BYD is also bringing an electric LCV to Europe, in the form of the new BYD E-VALI, whilst Renault also revealed its vision for an urban-focused electric van, with its ZFlexEvan concept.
Marc Hedrich, President of Kia Europe, commented on the reveal:
“In order to disrupt the LCV market, an all-in approach is needed to maximise the benefits of a dedicated platform for a wide range of customers. While this approach is not a first for electric passenger cars, it’s certainly the first time we see it for LCV. This is a benchmark moment, and our PBVs are set to deliver better accessibility, higher volumes, and lower running costs, to completely change logistics and mobility.”
