Kia Opens UK Orders for a PV5 Chassis Cab and a Taller Cargo Van

Kia has opened orders in the United Kingdom for two new PV5 electric van variants: a chassis cab that can be turned into a tipper, dropside, or box, and a taller Cargo L2/H2, Electrek reported. Both use the long-range 71.2 kWh battery in the U.K.

The PV5 is Kia's first fully electric van from its Platform Beyond Vehicle business, built on Hyundai Motor's E-GMP.S skateboard platform. Until now it has mostly been sold in passenger and cargo body styles. The new chassis version is an open-bed model meant to be finished by an upfitter. In the U.K., Kia is offering conversions through TGS Automotive Group, including a lightweight tipper, a dropside, and a box.

Chassis cab: range, size, and price

The PV5 Chassis is sold in the U.K. only with the 71.2 kWh pack, which Kia said could offer a potential WLTP range of up to 258 miles, or 416 km, the same range figure Kia quotes for the PV5 Cargo L2/H1 with that battery. Other markets will also have a 51.1 kWh standard-range option; that smaller pack is not part of the U.K. chassis offering.

The chassis model is 4,610 mm long, 1,895 mm wide, and 1,935 mm tall, with a 2,995 mm wheelbase and a 5.5-meter turning radius. It has two seats, a 12.9-inch navigation screen, a 7.5-inch driver display, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It can DC fast-charge at up to 120 kW, which Kia said takes the battery from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 30 minutes, or from 10 percent to 100 percent in about 6 hours and 30 minutes on 11 kW AC.

Payload depends on the conversion: up to 633 kg for the dropside and 561 kg for the tipper. Kia priced the incomplete chassis "Plus" long-range model at £32,916 on the road, including the expected £5,000 Zero Emission Van Grant. The converted dropside starts at £40,110 on the road including the grant, and the tipper at £41,310. Those are U.K. on-the-road prices from Electrek's conversion of Kia's table, not U.S. MSRPs.

The taller cargo van

The PV5 Cargo L2/H2 is 4,695 mm long, 1,895 mm wide, and 2,200 mm high, with the same 2,995 mm wheelbase. The taller roof gives an internal cargo height of 1,815 mm and 5.2 cubic meters of load space. It comes in three- and four-door layouts with two or three seats. Three-door versions have a maximum payload of 630 kg; four-door models with dual sliding doors are rated at up to 600 kg. Both can tow up to 1,500 kg. WLTP range for this taller van is up to 239 miles on the 71.2 kWh battery.

The base Cargo L2/H2 Essential two-seat starts at £35,016 on the road, including the grant. Plus trims and a walk-through version are higher. These vans are a U.K. commercial offering, not a new U.S. product, and they expand a line Kia already sells in other body styles.