We’ve been drooling over the alien-looking Kia PV5 electric van since its official design first went public last February, and now Kia has taken things to the next level with the unveiling of the longer, more powerful, and somehow even weirder-looking PV7. Like the PV5, the PV7 is a modular van that will offer 23 different configurations including cargo and passenger setups, two roof heights and two different wheelbases, aimed squarely at the likes of the Ford E-Transit and Mercedes-Benz eSprinter.
It’s built on the same platform as the PV5, Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV), but it will start with the PV5’s larger 71.5-kWh battery, with the option of an even-larger 96.2-kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) battery pack. On the European WLTP cycle, that should provide about 286 miles on a charge in front-wheel-drive cargo configuration; all-wheel drive will be offered later. Perhaps most importantly for a work vehicle, and unlike the PV5 that uses a 400-volt architecture, the PV7 has an 800-volt setup that should allow it to charge from 10% to 80% in the mid-20-minute range.
Kia has really thought this one through
Kia is not messing around with this new van, which is important when market competitors are as well-established and well-funded as other full-size vans are. Cargo versions are offered with either a two-seat or three-seat configuration, and include considerations such as the ability to fit three Euro pallets, a load-through bulkhead, two different tailgate designs, and a dedicated heavy-load driving mode that adapts performance to varying payload conditions to maintain stability under substantial loads. PV7 passenger vans can fit either seven occupants, nine people, or up to 11 humans depending on chassis length.
Kia released some dimensions for the PV7 Longs, so we know they’ll be about 17.5 feet long, 6.54 feet wide, and 6.52 feet tall in front-wheel-drive guise. The PV7 will produce as much as 268 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque.
Kia
A big part of what makes us lust after the PV7 is its styling: these vans look awesome. It doubles down on the PV5’s blunt nose and funky lighting signatures, but with even funkier lights and details, and it maintains the low beltline that makes the proportions more visually intriguing. One of my favorite design features are the boxy, subtly blistered wheel arches that are unlike anything else on the market. Its unapologetically upright proportions, distinctive looks, and thoughtful features make us swoon, but there’s no word yet on whether the PV7 will be offered in the U.S. market.
