Kia’s next electric van is hard to miss on the road [Video]

This is a car industry story, not a home energy one, but here's what happened. Kia is building out a lineup of electric vans under a business it calls Platform Beyond Vehicle. The first model, the PV5, launched last year and has sold well, with Kia adding new versions like a 7-seater and a cargo model with a taller roof. Now a second, bigger van called the PV7 has been spotted testing on public roads in South Korea, ahead of a planned 2027 launch.

Photos and video show the PV7 is noticeably longer and wider than the PV5, which should mean more interior space. It appears to have two charging ports, one in front like the PV5 and another possibly on the rear passenger side. Based on an earlier concept version shown at CES in 2024, the PV7 measures roughly 5,270 mm long and 2,065 mm wide, compared with about 4,695 mm long and 2,895 mm wide for the PV5 passenger version. It's also expected to use Hyundai's Pleos software for its infotainment system.

Kia plans to follow the PV7 with an even larger van, the PV9, in 2029. Altogether, the company is aiming to sell 232,000 of these electric vans a year by 2030 across the PV5, PV7, and PV9 lineup. None of this affects home energy upgrades or rebates directly, but it's a sign of how quickly electric vehicle options are expanding beyond passenger cars into vans and commercial-style vehicles.