Kia expands electric range with PV5 vans, EV4 hatch and saloon and hint at small EV2 crossover
Kia's first foray into commerical vehicles will be all-electric
Kia has unveiled three different battery electric vehicles simultaneously as part of its continuing push to increase its zero-emission offering for consumers.
Alongside the new EV4, which will be offered in all-electric hatchback and saloon forms, Kia has unveiled an EV2 concept car previewing a new sub-compact electric SUV and the new PV5 van, which is Kia’s first electric commercial vehicle.
The EV4 has been seen previously in concept form, and it will slot in alongside the EV3 and EV6 models as a Kia Ceed-sized family car. When it goes on sale in the UK in the second half of this year, customers will be faced with a choice of two batteries, with a 58.3kWh power pack fitted as standard and an 81.4kWh long-range option on the table.
Both will come from a 201bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels, allowing the bigger of the two batteries to provide an official range of up to around 390 miles on a single charge. And when the battery is depleted, the charging system allows the cells to be topped up from 10 to 80 percent in 31 minutes, assuming the charger and conditions allow.
As well as driving technology, Kia has packed the EV4 with numerous cabin tech features, including a three-screen digital driver interface with navigation and a digital key system, allowing owners to use their phone or even their Apple Watch as a key. The car will also be able to receive over-the-air updates, while buyers will be offered an optional Harman/Kardon sound system.
Tech isn’t just used in the cabin, though. Kia’s latest advanced driver assistance technology is included in the package, and there’s a regenerative braking system for ‘single-pedal’ operation. Kia also says it has tuned the suspension and the steering for maximum comfort and compliance, without sacrificing agility and body control.
The EV4 is expected to be joined next year by the new Kia EV2, which has so far been shown solely in concept form.
Inspired by the EV3 that has been such a hit with critics, the new EV2 will be a smaller compact SUV that sits lower down in the range and competes with the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric.
Externally, the design shares plenty with the existing EV3 and EV9 SUVs, although rear-hinged back doors have been fitted to aid access, while the cabin gets a modern look with ambient lighting playing a starring role. The EV2 also gets folding second-row seating that allows for maximum load flexibility and greater movement of the front seats, so drivers can stretch out while waiting for the car to charge.
Other practical additions include pop-up luggage bay dividers and securing straps, while a high-tech feature is a “message lighting” system that allows occupants to display text messages through the car windows and communicate with other road users. The triangular speakers in the doors are also portable, allowing them to be removed and used outside the vehicle when needed.
But while all that’s very clever, perhaps the biggest departure for the Kia brand is the new PV5 van, which is Kia’s first electric commercial vehicle and will come in a choice of different guises. Not only will it be offered in conventional panel van form, but it’ll also be available as a “crew van” with a mix of seating and luggage space, and as a “chassis cab” with no rear end bodywork at all. It will also be offered in wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) form and full passenger-carrying guise.
Although Kia calls the PV5 a “mid-sized car-derived van,” it’s essentially a scalable commercial vehicle that can be made larger or smaller at minimal cost, thanks to its underpinnings, known as a “skateboard” on which flexible combinations of bodies can be mounted.
Kia calls this the Flexible Body System, which has allowed the modular construction of different PV5 models (such as the panel van and passenger-carrying variants) and various conversion options, with the chassis cab forming the basis for drop-side van conversions, box-van adaptations and light camper options.
The PV5 Passenger model will effectively be a huge MPV, akin to the Citroen e-Spacetourer and other electric van-based passenger vehicles. It will arrive in Europe – and presumably the UK – later this year, offering a three-row layout with flexible seating, allowing for a cargo-orientated two-row “2-3-0” layout, while the three-row “1-2-3” layout allows the passenger seat to be removed for cargo to be carried up front.
The Cargo model, meanwhile, will be offered in Standard, Long and High-Roof forms, with a maximum cargo space of more than five cubic metres, which is noticeably less than you get in a Ford Transit Custom, but more than you’ll find in the smaller Transit Connect.
Finally, the Chassis Cab models will be supplied as an incomplete vehicle, allowing conversion firms to build on the exposed chassis, which only comes with side collision protection for the battery and some mounting brackets for body installations.
Beneath all that, the PV5 will be offered with a choice of 51.5kWh or 71.2kWh batteries, while the Cargo will be offered with a shorter-range 43.3kWh option. In every case, the battery supplies a 161bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels, allowing the largest battery to take the PV5 Passenger up to around 250 miles on a single charge.
Charging the PV5’s battery from 10 to 80 per cent will take around 30 minutes at maximum high-speed DC charging rates.
And the powertrain isn’t the only tech on show, with the PV5 getting car-derived features including a seven-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.9-inch touchscreen navigation system. It offers over-the-air updates, too, and it has vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, allowing the battery to power tools, appliances or other electrical items, just as they would work from a domestic plug socket.
UK pricing has yet to be confirmed for any of the new electric Kias.
Related articles
- If you were interested in the new electric Kia lineup, you might like to read a review of the Kia EV3
- Also check out what we said about the latest Kia EV6, updated for 2024
- Need something bigger? Check out our review of the Kia EV9 electric seven-seater
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