Kia’s highly anticipated PV5 electric van spotted in Australia

South Korean carmaker Kia received approval in February for its first electric van in Australia, the PV5, and the first of these vehicles, likely heading to customers, has been spotted at a port holding yard.

In a picture taken by Troy W and reshared by Roland from ZappedAu on X, the PV5 van appears to have just been unloaded from a ship along with other Kia vehicles, including the Tasman ute spotted behind it.

This PV5 still appears to have protective wrapping on the wheels and parts of the body, which is common practice among car companies to protect cars from scuffs and marks during transport.

As mentioned above, PV5 was ROVER-approved, revealing details of either three- or four-door configurations that will be available. The added door is on the driver’s side of the van, as shown in this example. 

Both variants come with 16-inch wheels as standard, and according to the approval documentation, the new Kia PV5 will be offered with a single CATL battery pack.

It has a 71.2 kWh battery pack, which in international markets is considered the “Long Range” pack with Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) chemistry, delivering around 416 km of WLTP range.

Charging the PV5 from 10-80% will take around 30 minutes, which is ideal for top-ups during driver lunch breaks or overnight at the depot.

Previous reports indicate that the PV5 will feature both indoor and outdoor Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capabilities, capable of supplying up to 3.68 kW of electricity.

This battery will feed a 120 kW front-mounted motor and is based on the specialised 400 V architecture. This is the brand’s new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) architecture, featured first on this model.

From a dimensional point of view, the sedan is 4.695 metres long and just under 1.9 metres high.

The three-door variant weighs 1,935 kg and can tow up to 750 kg, while the four-door version weighs over 1,955 kg, with a braked towing capacity of 750 kg as well.

Last month at the Melbourne Motor Show, the PV5 was showcased at a price of $55,990 before on-road costs.

It has also undergone Kia’s local ride & handling program, which has focused on navigating urban delivery routes while also tuning the ride for rough country roads.

This model is the brand’s first shot at a full-electric van, and we can’t wait to get behind the wheel of one when it lands in the coming months, since it ticks so many boxes in the last-mile delivery market.

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