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Kia is looking to sell a lot of its commercial electric delivery vehicles, and it has recruited the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDs™ company to help it do so. Those of us who are, well, above a certain age grew up thinking quite a lot of GUINNESS WORLD RECORDs™. There were cool books you could read on different world records. But it’s a funny thing, because you have to request someone come and observe/verify a world record, and pay for that. Perhaps someone else has set the record elsewhere but it was not verified by the company. So it doesn’t count.
Anyway, I still love GUINNESS WORLD RECORDs™ and news of interesting new records. Especially when they are cleantech related! So, it’s fun to see Kia announcing that a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ has been set by the Kia PV5 Cargo. The vehicle travelled 693.38 km (430.84 mi) on a single charge with a maximum payload. To be specific here, this is what the record is for: “The greatest distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload[1] on a single charge is 693.38 km (430.84 mi).”
This was set by the PV5 Cargo Long Range with 4 doors and a 71.2 kWh battery. Its max payload is 665 kg. It’s also nice to see that the record wasn’t set on a track just driving in a large loop. It was set on public roads in Frankfurt, Germany. “The record route was carefully designed to replicate the daily realities of delivery and logistics operations. Over a 58.2 km urban and extra-urban loop, the PV5 Cargo faced traffic lights, intersections, roundabouts, and typical city traffic — mirroring the conditions most fleet drivers encounter every day. On top of this, the van repeatedly tackled an elevation gain of approximately 370 m, completing the loop 12 times while carrying its full payload, and finally coming to a stop within the twelfth loop. These demanding conditions highlight the PV5 Cargo’s exceptional efficiency and reliability, making it an outstanding companion for sustainable urban mobility.”
Interestingly, along with a senior engineer at the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center, a commercial vehicle journalist. The journalist, George Barrow, stated: “I’m genuinely excited to have been part of this incredible GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ title — it was a demanding but unforgettable journey. I was seriously impressed by how far the Kia PV5 can go: more than 690 km on a single charge and with a full payload. That’s no small feat, and I have a feeling this record won’t be easy to beat! The PV5 and Christopher were great teammates for this challenge, and I’m proud to have been part of a record that pushes the boundaries for electric vans.”
The record drive took 22 hours and 30 minutes.
“As an engineer, this challenge was both technical and personal,” said Christopher Nigemeier, Senior Engineer at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center. “George brought an incredible amount of driving experience from testing other vans, while I had the advantage of knowing the PV5’s powertrain inside out. It became a friendly competition between us — who could squeeze the most out of each kilowatt-hour. In the end, it was the vehicle itself that impressed us both.”
Good on Kia for developing this commercial EV, setting the range record and marketing it. Naturally, there are different variations of the model and it was developed to be useful for different types of customers. “The PV5 Cargo variant offers up to 4.4 m3 of load space and a payload capacity of up to 790 kg. Customers can choose from several battery options — 51.5 kWh, 71.2 kWh and a forthcoming 43.3 kWh — tailored to their operational needs,” Kia adds. Go get yours today!
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