Kia’s PV5 Cargo Van Just Drove Farther Than Any Electric Workhorse Has Before

Electric vans lead a fairly mundane existence…filled with packages, trapped in traffic, and climbing hills all day without complaint. One of these vans, an unassuming Kia PV5 Cargo, was completely filled with 1,465 pounds worth of sandbags and drove away on a full charge from its 71.2-kilowatt-hour battery. By the time it came to a halt 22 hours and 30 minutes later, it had traveled 430.84 miles. When they were finished, Guinness World Records handed out one of their iconic certificates for ‘The greatest distance traveled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload on a single charge’.

The PV5 navigated from highway signs to city streets on a 36-mile circuit carefully laid out by delivery pros. The route was a mix of stop-and-go traffic in the cities and the open road with little elevation changes – though on this particular circuit – 1,214 feet per loop – kept things pretty grueling. A couple of guys – George Barrow, a van expert who’d spent 15 years on the road, and Christopher Nigemeier, the engineer who helped build the thing – – took turns driving it. Barrow got to start ,putting his familiar touch to the wheel as he navigated the German suburbs while Nigemeier was in the passenger seat, watching the power draw. They went through 11 full loops before the battery finally ran dry – hauling the heaviest load the four-door long-range model was allowed – 665 kilograms – that’s roughly 1,465 pounds.

The van used power at a consistent rate of 10.3 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometers (16.6 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles), and this rate remained constant even when the total weight reached 5,850 pounds. In comparison, empty tests on the same trip revealed the true cost of cargo: every 220 pounds reduced the range by only 1.5 percent. If the PV5 had been running on empty, it would have traveled around 470 miles. Barrow and Nigemeier were taking their time, averaging about 19 miles per hour to mirror the sort of speeds you see in the real world, rather than some sort of speedway sprint. TÜV Hessen officials had weighed and sealed everything beforehand to ensure the setup matched what real life fleet managers are ordering right off the lot.


Efficiency like that gets people thinking about how to match that kind of performance. Drivers of compact sedans often look to squeeze similar returns out of their rides – like 18 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles on a smooth day, though in reality your everyday mileage will probably average out to about 22. But a loaded cargo van getting better mileage on a straight-up mile-for-mile basis, flips the notion of what to expect from heavy-duty electric work on its head. Kia’s batteries are making a significant contribution in this regard; according to recent research, they last longer than the competition, so you don’t have to worry about battery fade after years of driving, which is a key stressor to avoid. With a simple top-up at a DC fast charger, you can get the pack from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes, giving you another full day without needing to take a lunch break.


Behind the wheel of the PV5, there are a lot of clever details designed for those who will actually live in it. The seats warm and cool on command, as does the steering wheel, and there are small storage nooks throughout the dash for tools or coffee mugs. A surround view camera really helps with tight alleys by giving you a better view of your surroundings.Meanwhile, in the back, vehicle-to-load plugs can charge your worksite drill or coffee warmer, eliminating the risk of running out of juice. On the safety front, the system keeps its eyes forward, with collision avoidance that slows for pedestrians, cruise control that reads the road ahead, and lane guidance that softly nudges you back on track without bothering you.


Kia has great ambitions for the PV5 in the future years, including seven various body types ranging from light campers for weekend vacations to open beds for trades and more flexible alternatives for specialized tasks. They also have bigger siblings on the way, such as the PV7 in 2027, which can take larger cargoes, and the PV9 in 2029, which can handle massive fleets. The cargo variant is slated to make its debut on our shores in 2026 for roughly $37,000, which should pique the interest of small companies concerned about the expense of higher-end imports.