Kia is getting ready to expand its electric van range with the new PV7, giving us our first official glimpse of the larger sibling to its recently launched and already hugely popular PV5.
The new model will be the second dedicated electric vehicle in Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle, or PBV, range and will make its world debut at the IAA Transportation show in Hannover, Germany, on 14 September.
For now, Kia is keeping most of the important numbers under wraps. There are no details yet on the PV7’s size, battery capacity, driving range, charging speed, payload or price, but the company has confirmed that it will offer more space and capability than the smaller PV5 and take Kia further into the light commercial vehicle market.
And those numbers will be important because there are already some strong electric vans for the PV7 to compete with. The Ford E-Transit can travel up to 249 miles with its largest battery and charge from 10 to 80 per cent in around 28 minutes, while versions with the standard battery can carry a payload of up to 1,745kg.
The Renault Master E-Tech Electric pushes range even further, with its 87kWh battery offering up to 285 miles and a maximum payload of up to 1,500kg. Renault says a rapid charge can take the battery from 15 to 80 per cent in 38 minutes. Then there’s the Fiat E-Ducato, with a 110kWh battery and a claimed range of up to 263 miles. So, Kia has some useful benchmarks to aim for when the PV7’s full specification is finally revealed.
The first teaser pictures reveal a tall, upright shape with a black bonnet and dark trim around the pillars contrasting with the body colour. There are also distinctive front and rear light designs linking the PV7 visually with Kia’s other PBV models.
Underneath, the new model will use Kia’s dedicated E-GMP.S electric platform, and it won’t just be a single van. Kia says future versions of the PV7 will broaden the range further, although it hasn’t yet said exactly what those different models will be.
The existing PV5 gives us a clue as to how far Kia wants to stretch the idea. At the IAA Transportation show it will show the PV5 Cargo in two different sizes, alongside the PV5 Chassis, seven-seat PV5 Passenger, wheelchair-accessible PV5 WAV and even a PV5 Food Truck.
Revealed as a concept at the CES technology show in Las Vegas in 2024, the PV5 was designed from the start as an electric commercial vehicle, with a tight turning radius aimed at making life easier in towns and cities, a low cargo loading height and a modular body design intended to make repairs simpler and reduce the amount of time a vehicle spends off the road.
Kia hasn’t confirmed which of those features will also appear on the PV7, and there’s still plenty to find out. As well as those all-important battery, range and charging figures, we don’t yet know how long, wide or tall it will be, how much it will carry or how much space there’ll be in the back.
Prices, exact on-sale timing and which versions will make it to the UK haven’t been announced either.
We’ll get a much clearer idea of how the new Kia stacks up against the Ford E-Transit, Renault Master E-Tech and other electric vans when the PV7 makes its global debut in Hannover on 14 September.
Read MoreShould you buy a new 76-plate EV or a bargain used one?
71% of UK’s tradespeople consider switching to electric vans, according to survey
