Automotive Engineering - May 2024 - 38

Q&
A
Kia takes aim at commercial vans with
PBV concepts
Kia is positioning itself to make waves in the commercial vehicle
sector. At CES 2024 in Las Vegas, the company pulled
back the curtains on its electrified commercial van lineup.
Though the designs are still at the concept stage, Kia has made
it clear that it intends to enter the global commercial van space
in short order.
SAE Media interviewed Tim Walker, director of fleet and
remarketing, at NTEA's Work Truck Week 2024 in Indianapolis
to discuss some design details of the PV vans, Kia's overall
strategy for entering the commercial vehicle sector, and the
challenges of bringing the vans to market.
What is Kia's main goal in entering the
commercial vehicle sector in North
America?
The genesis for this idea was to move our
fleet to zero carbon emissions by 2045.
Obviously, that starts with the retail side,
but at the same time our chairman
changed the general edict of our corporate
strategy to be more focused on mobility
solutions. Mobility is not just selling
a customer a car. It's about moving people
and goods in a new and different way.
E-commerce was also a big factor. There
is a lot of desire to deliver products to
customers and other entities by using
electricity instead of fossil fuels. We're
mainly focused on big fleets, but we're
also looking to serve small businesses. We
see a lot of need in the near future to
move this direction, so we're introducing
these concepts to indicate that we're
coming to this space.
What are some details about the driveline and packaging that
you can share?
These vans are all front-wheel drive. The front module is similar
to what we use in some of our other vehicles. There's a reduction
gear motor and the power electronics sit on top of the battery.
The powertrain itself is entirely housed in the front of the
chassis, which is a unibody design. The batteries are centrally
located between the wheels but biased towards the rear to
open up space for various ergonomic options. On the cargo
versions, there is an option to fold the passenger seat into the
floor and the console will be a different configuration so that
the driver can easily move from their seat into the cargo area.
Kia plans to launch the PBV lineup globally by 2026.
" Mobility is not just
selling a customer a
car. It's about moving
people and goods in a
new and different way. "
- Tim Walker, Kia's director of
fleet and remarketing
How many different models are currently planned?
The lineup that we are currently planning is four distinct models.
The PV7 is the largest model in the family. The PV5 is our
mid-level offering, and we will have three different versions
including a chassis cab, a tall box and a rideshare vehicle that
can carry up to five people. The smaller vans like the PV5 will
have a 400-volt architecture, while the PV7 will have an 800volt
system. The 800V system will have a design similar to our
EV6 and EV9. Both the PV5 and PV7 will have a single motor
with a range of 50 to 70 kWh. The 70-kilowatt version will be
what we use for North America because it gives us more
range which better fits the U.S. driving style. The PV9 will
have a 103-kWh motor for the U.S. market, which will provide
a 209-mile (336-km) range. The bigger vans will have a payload
of 2,866 lbs. (1,300 kg) and the smaller van will have
1,730 lbs. (785 kg).
38 May 2024
How modular is the basic platform?
One of the big ideas behind this platform is
that it's all interchangeable. Our goal is to
be able to switch out the 'life modules' between
cargo, rideshare and other configurations.
If you look at the cab portion which
is from the door forward, the design is fixed
at this point. From here back you can
change the body to different configurations.
We also announced at CES that customers
will be able to purchase a kit and
make body changes themselves. It's a tubular
design and some of the panels are attached with mechanical
fasteners and electromagnets. So, modularity is built in from the
basic design. The front bumpers on these are three pieces. One of
the most common places for vans like this to get hit is on the front.
So, if you do happen to hit something, you can just replace one
piece of the fascia and not the whole thing. The front charge point
has also been moved out of the impact zone to avoid damage.
Do you have any details on production?
All of these vehicles will be produced at our plant in
Hwaseong, South Korea. We have an additional plant that is
dedicated just to producing these vehicles. Our total volume
will be roughly 150,000 units annually. This is a global program,
so we intend to sell these vans in markets all over the
world. Our target time to market for the rideshare van is Q1 of
2026. The cadence after that is still to be determined.
Matt Wolfe
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
KIA
Automotive Engineering - May 2024

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