Who needs diesels? Kia PV5 does record-breaking 431 miles with a full load!
Just days after Skoda announced its diesel-car world record, Kia hits back with a fully laden electric van
Remember last week’s record-breaking diesel Skoda? While it’s proof that there’s still life left in combustion cars, Kia has hit back with a benchmark-setting 431-mile run in its new PV5 electric van. The record was set on public roads and with a full payload.
The unmodified Kia PV5 Cargo sets the Guinness World Record for “the greatest distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload on a single charge”. The total distance covered amounted to 693.38km (430.84 miles), and took 22 hours and 30 minutes to complete. The resulting efficiency was calculated at more than 6.2mi/kWh.
The run took place at the end of September under “authentic, real-world conditions”, on public roads near Frankfurt in Germany. It followed a so-called “extra-urban” route of 58.2km (36.2 miles) including traffic lights, intersections, roundabout and “typical city traffic”, as well as elevation gain of approximately 370 metres. The van completed the loop 12 times.
The PV5 in question was a Cargo L2H1 fitted with the bigger 71.2kWh battery. Official WLTP range for this model stands at 258 miles, meaning the vehicle exceeded its stated maximum by more than 172 miles – even when filled to its maximum payload of 690kg.
Marc Hedrich, president and CEO of Kia Europe, said: “Even if Kia is new to the LCV market, this record is a testament to the versatility and innovation behind Kia’s first PBV (platform beyond vehicle).
“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.”
Apparently, internal tests show that every additional 100kg reduces the PV5’s range by around 1.5 per cent, suggesting that without a full load and under the same conditions, the Kia could exceed 475 miles of range on a single charge.
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