The Kia PV5 has been revealed, kickstarting the South Korean marque’s venture into the electric commercial vehicle segment, a rival to the VW ID. Buzz, Ford E-Transit, and Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. Based on the PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicle) architecture, the PV5 touts unprecedented flexibility with its skateboard chassis, with an electric camper van on the cards for possible configurations. Apparently, Kia’s California EV-rival will arrive sooner than expected.
Kia
Kia is a South Korean automaker headquartered in Seoul. It was originally founded in 1944 as a bicycle manufacturer which later built small motorcycles, and Mazda-licensed trucks and cars. After building an assembly plant in th early 70s, the company also produced the Bisa range of cars until 1981 before coming to a half due to the political situation at the time. Production kicked off again in 1986 in partnership with Ford, and in 1992 the company started sellling cars in North America. Today it is the second-largest automaker in South Korea, right behind Hyundai.
- Founded
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June 9, 1944 (as Kyungsung Precision Industry)
- Founder
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Kim Cheol-ho
- Headquarters
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Seoul, South Korea
- Owned By
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Hyundai Motor Group
- Current CEO
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Ho Sung Song
Speaking to Auto Express, Sangdae Kim, head of Kia’s PBV division, has confirmed the automaker’s intention to the “camping car market.” In fact, Kia’s already considering two versions of the PV5 camper.
“We are considering introducing two different camping car versions. One would be a camper ‘lite’ version and the other one would be a more serious camping conversion.”
– Sangdae Kim, Head of Kia PBV Division
Partnership With Camper Outfitters
Kia mulls on making its own electric camper, but it’s not ruling out partnerships with established camper outfitters. According to Pierre Martin-Bos, Kia Europe’s PBV director, there’s a big market for camper vans made by aftermarket companies, so it’s something that the company’s considering. He also recognized that bigger camper vans are usually diesel-powered, though it’s something that Kia will change “like everything else.”
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However, there’s one issue with the PBV platform that the upcoming Kia PV5 camper will use – battery range. The biggest available battery of the PV5 at launch is 71.2 kWh, which is only good for 249 miles based on the more forgiving European standards. Sure, it’s greater than what the ID. Buzz can offer, but given the added weight of the camper conversion – especially with full-fledged motorhome conversions that come with everything including the kitchen sink – that range can even go lower.
Could Arrive As Early As Next Year
Obviously, an electric camper van with a limited range isn’t ideal for a vehicle purposely built for adventures that would likely involve long drives. Kia’s aware of this problem, though. In a separate interview with Auto Express, the automaker’s head of business planning, Spencher Cho, said that the range offered by the PBV architecture was a “fine balance between the AER (all-electric range) and the price.”
This means a bigger battery with more range would be more expensive, but hopefully, Kia gets to solve this conundrum soon. It’s expected that the PV5 camper van will be introduced within 12 to 24 months. This will undercut the upcoming VW ID. Buzz California, which has been delayed to arrive by the end of this decade.
Source: Auto Express
