Overview
- The L2H1 Long Range PV5 covered 693.38 km (430.84 miles) on public roads north of Frankfurt on September 30, completing a 58.2 km loop 12 times in 22 hours 30 minutes.
- Commercial vehicle journalist George Barrow and HMETC senior engineer Christopher Nigemeier shared driving duties, with inspectors from TÜV Hessen and buck Vermessung verifying payload compliance and GPS and in‑cabin cameras documenting the sealed run.
- Equipped with the 71.2 kWh battery, the van surpassed its published WLTP range for that variant (about 247–258 miles), benefiting from stop‑start urban driving and energy recuperation.
- Published payload figures differ across outlets—Kia’s release cites 665 kg (1,466 lb) as the maximum authorised load, while some reports state roughly 790 kg (1,740 lb).
- Kia positions the PV5 as the first model in its PBV lineup, with UK sales underway and larger PV7 and PV9 models scheduled later in the decade.