You won’t believe how far Kia’s new record breaking van just went

From the longest fingernails to the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s cube, Guinness World Records have long held a curious fascination for many of us. Now the Kia PV5 can take its place in the record books having set a new benchmark for the greatest distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload on a single charge.

The Kia PV5 Cargo electric van travelled a staggering total of 430.84 miles (693.38km) on a single charge with a payload of 690kg on board, using the public roads north of Frankfurt, Germany.

The record took place over a route that was carefully chosen to replicate the realities of a fairly ordinary delivery operation. Each lap was made up of a 58.2km loop taking in small towns and villages with roundabouts, traffic lights and stop signs. Not to mention the ever day traffic.

Behind the wheel was a member of the PV5 development team, Christopher Nigemeier and Van Reviewer editor George Barrow, who together completed a total of 11 laps with the van eventually stopping towards the end of the 12^th loop.  

According to the WLTP test cycle the PV5 Cargo with 72kWh battery has a combined range of 258 miles (415km), prompting Guinness World Records to set a minimum of 300km for it to be considered a valid attempt.

With a full payload and uncertain weather and traffic conditions the team were unsure of just how far the electric van might be able to travel, however, internal tests showed that for every additional 100kg of payload, the PV5’s range was only reduced by around 1.5%. Adding the maximum payload could therefore reduce the range by a theoretical 10.5% bringing the estimated combined range to just 371km.

The attempt was started by Barrow and after just two laps, and despite heavy traffic as the evening rush hour approached, it became apparent that the PV5 was capable of much, much more than its payload-adjusted WLTP estimate.

Averaging around 10.5kWh/100km or 5.92 miles per kWh the predicted range of the PV5 Cargo eventually stabilised at around 650km by the time Barrow handed over to Nigemeier in the early hours of the morning.

Nigemeier continued at a similar level of consumption until morning when Barrow resumed, taking the van to 0% and eventually to a complete standstill more than 25 hours after the record attempt began.

“I'm genuinely excited to have been part of this incredible Guinness World Records achievement. It was a demanding but unforgettable journey,” said Barrow.

“I was seriously impressed by how far the Kia PV5 can go, more than 430 miles 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.”

Christopher Nigemeier, senior engineer at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center added: “As an engineer, this challenge was both technical and personal. George brought an incredible amount of driving experience from testing other electric 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.”

Speaking after the world record attempt, Marc Hedrich, president and CEO of Kia Europe said: “Even if Kia is new to the LCV market, this record is a testament to the versatility and innovation behind Kia’s first PBV, showing that we are serious contenders. The fact that much of our target audience for this van variant could operate for almost two full working days on a single charge speaks volumes about its real-world capability.”

Guinness World Record FAQs