Kia’s electric van lineup is getting more interesting with reveal of PV7 | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchLightSystemDarkTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Kia’s electric van lineup is getting more interesting with reveal of PV7NotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...TransportationCloseTransportationPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TransportationNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsElectric CarsCloseElectric CarsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Electric CarsKia’s electric van lineup is getting more interesting with reveal of PV7The PV7 is longer than Kia’s previous electric van and comes in two versions: one for passengers and one for cargo.The PV7 is longer than Kia’s previous electric van and comes in two versions: one for passengers and one for cargo.by Andrew J. HawkinsCloseAndrew J. HawkinsTransportation editorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew J. HawkinsImages by KiaSep 15, 2026, 6:39 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: KiaAndrew J. HawkinsCloseAndrew J. HawkinsPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew J. Hawkins is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.You may not know it, but minivans are making a comeback in the US. Look around, and you’ll start to notice an uptick in these breadboxes on wheels. Sales were up 21 percent in 2025, suggesting that the humble minivan is shaking off its “uncool” stigma and finding new fans among an SUV-weary public. I’m here for it.One of the companies currently carrying the torch for minivans is Kia, which has sold its popular Carnival minivan here since 2021. Kia is also one of the few automakers making all-electric vans. This week, the Korean automaker rolled out its new PV7 at IAA Transportation in Germany. This is the second electric van from Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) lineup, following the PV5 “people mover,” which went on sale in 2025. The PV7 is longer than the PV5 by about 2 feet and comes in two variants, one for passengers and one for cargo.All of which is to say that Kia should bring its increasingly interesting electric vans to the US. If they are attractively priced — and this is Kia, so it’s safe to assume that’s possible — I really think these vans would do numbers. The people yearn for a moderately priced electric van!PreviousNext1/5The PBV vans are technically impressive on several levels. They’re built on Kia’s dedicated PBV architecture (E-GMP.S) that features a flat-floor layout for easy loading and unloading. The PV7 will come with a 71.5kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack or a 96.2kWh one. Kia claims the Cargo Long-Range version will get 460km (285.8 miles) on the generous WLTP cycle (which tends to be around 10–20 percent more generous than the EPA’s estimates). It’s built on an 800-volt architecture, which enables 10—80 percent charging in under 25 minutes using a 350kW DC fast charger. And it supports vehicle-to-load outlets to power external tools and equipment. The infotainment runs on Kia’s Android Automotive-based Pleos Connect OS, which includes its Gleo AI natural-language voice controls.PreviousNext1/6This all sounds great! And the design is just forward-looking enough to erase any concerns about the typical clunkiness of van ownership. The front end features a distinctive two-tone design with a dark upper section that wraps around the windshield, giving it a visor-like appearance. The upright look and tall, flat roof suggests a large interior space perfect for vanlife compartmentalization. The low front bumper and plastic body cladding around the base add a rugged, practical border. Both the passenger and cargo versions feature distinctive wheels with a squarish multi-spoke design. It’s not boring, but it’s not so in your face as to challenge your worldview.While Kia’s not saying whether the PV7 will be making its way to the US anytime soon, a version has been spotted testing in the US, according to Electrek. Officially, the van will be launched in Europe and Korea in the second half of 2027, with “additional markets, derivatives and conversion models to follow.”PBV was introduced during CES 2024 as a family of EVs built on a flexible vehicle architecture with different swappable body types. The vehicle can be transformed from a minivan to a full-size van to a small truck, depending on the specific need. The driver cab remains fixed, while the rest of the vehicle is interchangeable, like a real-life Duplo set. Of course, that was a concept from a different era. We’ve now veered into a darker timeline, at least for EVs.I get why Kia would hesitate to name the US as a future market, what with our well-documented history of cutting off our nose to spite our face. The minivan market may not be as red-hot as, say, the one for lifted trucks that roll coal and grind up spandex-wearing cyclists for breakfast. But the times, they are a-changing. Gas prices are going up and up. And an electric van could just be thing that finally heals our broken nation.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Andrew J. HawkinsCloseAndrew J. 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Kia has expanded its electric van offerings with the introduction of the PV7, which is presented as the second electric van in Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) lineup, following the PV5 people mover. The PV7 is physically longer than the previous electric van and is offered in two distinct configurations: one for passengers and one for cargo. This development supports the trajectory of minivans making a resurgence in the US market, particularly as the broader automotive landscape shifts toward electric vehicles.

The PV7 leverages Kia’s dedicated PBV architecture, which employs a flat-floor layout designed to maximize interior space for loading and unloading. Technically, the vehicle utilizes an eight hundred volt architecture, which facilitates extremely rapid charging capabilities; it can achieve ten to eighty percent charge in under twenty-five minutes when utilizing a three hundred fifty kilowatt DC fast charger. Battery options for the PV7 include a seventy one point five kilowatt hour or a ninety six point two kilowatt hour pack. For the cargo version, the Long-Range variant is projected to achieve a range of four hundred sixty kilometers or two hundred eighty five point eight miles according to the generous WLTP cycle estimates. Furthermore, the vehicle incorporates vehicle-to-load outlets enabling the use of external tools and equipment, and the infotainment system runs on Kia’s Android Automotive-based Pleos Connect OS, which integrates Gleo AI for natural-language voice controls.

A key aspect of the PBV concept is the underlying flexible vehicle architecture, which allows the platform to transform between body types, such as a minivan, a full-size van, or a small truck, while maintaining a fixed driver cab. The design language of the PV7 is presented as forward-looking, featuring a distinctive two-tone front end with a dark upper section wrapping around the windshield, giving it a visor-like appearance. The overall aesthetic emphasizes a tall, flat roof suitable for extensive vanlife compartmentalization. Practicality is also addressed through low front bumpers and plastic body cladding around the base, lending a rugged, practical border to the design. Both the passenger and cargo versions feature distinctive wheels with a squarish multi-spoke design.

While the official launch for the PV7 is scheduled for the second half of 2027 in Europe and Korea, the vehicle has already begun testing in the US, as reported by Electrek. Kia is anticipated to release additional markets, derivatives, and conversion models following this initial rollout. The introduction of such electric vans addresses growing concerns regarding fuel prices and positions electric vans as a potential solution for the transportation needs of the public.