I, like many others, have often felt the pang of fear caused by electric-vehicle-related range anxiety.
Although I've been testing electric vehicles for more than a decade, the creeping dread as you near 0% is something I still feel, far more so than when I'm in a regular car or van.
I'll think nothing of driving a diesel van on its fumes, knowing that somewhere nearby there will be a filling station. However, my mindset is a little different when it comes to electric vans.
Not only is there a nagging doubt over charging availability, you also just don't know how far any given EV will travel once you get to 0%. Having now completely pushed the limits of one of the newest and best electric vans on the market, my faith has been somewhat bolstered by the experience.
Not only was the huge 430 mile range covered by the PV5 a tremendous achievement, it also showed that EVs can go for a really really long time below their 0%.
Not all vans operate the same, and individual battery management protocols mean I can't say with any certainty that other electric vehicles will last quite so long as the Kia PV5 Cargo managed. What I can say is that I no longer fear the zero.
There'll still be worries that when I do need to charge, the charger won't be operational, or that payment cards will be rejected, but that's a problem for the infrastructure, not the products.
The PV5 world record is proof that electric vehicles can not only do considerable mileage but they can do it with a full load, over a typical working route. Although your average van driver won't be driving with quite the same light foot as my co-driver and I, the huge range potential of Kia's first van will surely give consumers confidence that they can make the switch.
