No more EV range anxiety? Kia PV5 Cargo sets 430-mile record

Kia’s PV5 Cargo has set a record by travelling over 430 miles on a single charge, while fully loaded. But does this mean it’ll survive in the real world?

Is it time to forget range anxiety? Well, perhaps not quite yet, but that moment seems to be edging closer every day. 

Far out-delivering its original 248-mile range promise, Kia has just proven that its new PV5 Cargo van can cover an unbelievable 430.84 miles — and yes, that’s while carrying a full payload. 

And with that, the South Korean manufacturer has made history, setting a fresh global benchmark, and officially claiming the Guinness World Record for ‘the greatest distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload on a single charge’. Not the snappiest title, but quite a remarkable feat. So, what are the details?

Performance under pressure

The specific variant that snatched the record was the PV5 Cargo L2H1 variant, fitted with the larger 71.2 kwh battery. And this was no leisurely cruise or test track runaround: it covered the distance under real-world conditions using public roads north of Frankfurt.

To ensure the experience was close to reflecting the daily life of a commercial operator, the 22.5-hour drive (long shift, huh?) was set around a 36.16-mile section of road, packed with intersections, roundabouts, traffic lights, and typical stop-start city traffic. And if that wasn’t hard enough, the route also included an elevation gain of around 370 metres per loop. But despite this, the PV5 completed the full cycle 12 times before finally coming to a stop.

Carry that weight

Of course, you can’t do real-world van testing without packing that cargo area to the brim — and that’s exactly what Kia has done.

While the PV5 comes in a number of model types — with Passenger, Chassis Cab, Camper bodies and more available to sit atop the modular platform — the record-setting L2H1 Cargo can haul up to 4.4m³ and a maximum payload 790 kg.

And if this doesn’t make the achievement impressive enough, Kia’s internal tests have shown that adding 100 kg of payload to the PV5’s cargo only reduces the van’s range by 1.5%. 

“The fact that much of our target audience for this van variant could operate for almost two full working days on a single charge speaks volumes about its real-world capability. The PV5 combines efficiency, flexibility, and intelligent connectivity in one package.” - Marc Hedrich, President and CEO of Kia Europe

Not too shabby at all we reckon, and with an L2H2 configuration set to land next year, we’ll be intrigued to see if this real-word applicability carries over to the larger model.

Experts behind the wheel

Now, almost 24 hours of driving is a pretty long shift, so a driving duo was required to set the record. Two highly experienced professionals shared the duties: George Barrow, a respected commercial vehicle journalist, and Christian Nigemeier, a senior engineer from the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre.

Barrow, who has more than 15 years covering the LCV market, admitted the journey was demanding but unforgettable, noting that this boundary-pushing record "won't be easy to beat."

Nigemeier noted that the challenge was both technical and personal, using his intimate knowledge of the PV5’s powertrain to maximise the range and start a friendly competition with his teammate — a recipe for success it seems.

But what do you think: is the PV5’s record just a big number? Or is it proof that dedicated electric vans are ready for the demands of operating in the real world?

Hero image credit:  Newspress UK