Kia returned to CES after five years and has just released a new modular electric vehicle platform called Platform Beyond Vehicles (PBV for short). These vehicles are still in the concept stage and aren’t the kind of cars you’d go out and buy to see around town or go on vacation – at least not yet. Instead, Kia’s planned first model, the PV5, will focus on commercial utilities such as ride-hailing, delivery and other commercial utilities.
Probably the coolest thing about PV5 is how modular it is. Kia showed off four different configurations. A minivan comes standard, but if you need more space, you can swap it for an extended roof. You can also completely swap out the rear two-thirds and configure it in pickup truck configuration, and finally there’s a taxi configuration focused on transporting passengers. As you might have guessed, the interior is fully modular to allow for these conversions.
Kia made no specific mention of self-driving capabilities, and photos of the vehicle’s interior show a somewhat conventional driver’s seat and steering area. But the company also said it hopes to work with Motional to develop the Robotaxi PV5 to provide a self-driving ride experience.
In addition to the PV5, Kia also showed off the large PV7 and the relatively small PV1, a pair of vehicles that work together. The PV7 is the largest model in the range, giving it more interior space and driving range, while the PV1 is meant to be small and “agile”, suitable for last-mile deliveries. The cool thing is that there is a rail system that connects the two cars together, allowing you to easily move cargo from the larger PV7 into the PV1.
As is often the case at CES, there aren’t many details on when the PBV program will move from concept to production product, but Kia has built a dedicated PBV factory in South Korea with planned production capacity by 2025, with output set to Reaching 150,000 vehicles, it will increase to 300,000 vehicles at an unknown future date. So next year we may see the first PBVs hit the road.
We will provide live coverage of CES 2024, which will be held in Las Vegas from January 6th to 12th.Get all the latest news from the show here.
This article was originally published on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/kia-announced-a-fleet-of-cute-modular-vans-at-ces-2024-004005807.html?src=rss
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