Kia Modular PBV Concepts Let You Swap Bodies for Different Uses

Kia just dropped one of the most exciting concepts of Consumer Electronics Show 2024 in Las Vegas — especially for those of us who loved building body-swapped Frankencars out of Legos as kids. Its new Platform Beyond Vehicle concepts each are essentially a cab atop a skateboard-style electric-vehicle chassis that allows you to swap out the entire rear portion of the vehicle to suit different uses, whether that’s as a cargo van, pickup truck, camper or taxi. Best of all, Kia plans to put these into production.

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Modular Kits

The company has three PBV models on display at CES: the compact PV1, three different versions of the mid-size PV5 and the larger PV7. Like Kia’s other electric models, the number at the end of the name roughly corresponds to vehicle size. Each PBV model gets shipped as a kit, ready for assembly — and swaps bodies as needed.

The PV5 is the focus of its CES display as it’s the first model Kia plans to roll out in the first phase of its PBV plans. It’ll be offered with various rear “life modules” available at launch, including a passenger van, both a regular and high-roof cargo van, and a pickup bed. Each module across the planned PBV lineup attaches to the PBVs’ fixed structure using hybrid electromagnetic-and-mechanical coupling technology. The PV5’s passenger van configuration features translucent perovskite solar cell panels on the roof to provide extra power to interior accessories and mobile devices. The interiors are configurable based on occupant needs, with seats that can tuck away or be reconfigured for different use cases, and accessory “tiles” for things like speakers or shelves that fit into rails on the side, ceiling, floor and exterior side panels.

Naturally, given that this is a CES display, there’s some cool tech involved, too. Kia says it plans to let the PBVs’ in-vehicle infotainment recognize user preferences in real time. A Kia PBV App Market will allow users to install third-party programs to fit their needs. Screens on the outside of the vehicle can announce whether a taxi is in use.

Particularly exciting in the demo video of the passenger van is the inclusion of a wheelchair lift that slides under the van’s floor. Lifts or ramps like this that don’t take up interior space are tough to include on EVs given vehicle batteries often sit under the floor where the ramp needs to tuck away. While this isn’t the first wheelchair-accessible EV, it’s good to see more options — especially one that looks cute and friendly for a change.

Three-Phase Launch

Kia plans to focus on ride-hailing, delivery and utility services in the first phase of its PBV launch, but it’s clear that it could make a cool personal vehicle, too — perhaps as a camper van or as one of the precious few options for a small pickup. Data connectivity between vehicles is a big part of the automaker’s PBV plans; Kia sees the interconnected nature of its wider vehicle-to-everything technology as being crucial for planning efficient routes for fleet vehicles. Routes, schedules, breaks and states of charge across a fleet can all factor into how vehicles get routed to pickups and drop-offs.

The second phase of Kia’s PBV strategy will roll out the PV1 and PV7. It’ll also focus on extra customization and expanding its use of data to build out whole PBV mobility platforms that can better interact with users and keep vehicles updated. This is when Kia expects to go truly hog wild with the PBVs’ integrated rail system for accessories, adding not just additional tiles but also new ways to enable vehicle-to-vehicle transfers of goods in cabinets or frames.

The third phase doubles down harder on the customization aspects of the concept, and Kia essentially left this phase open to adapt to whatever customer needs develop over the PBVs’ rollout. Kia plans to let customer feedback play a substantial role in its development of the PBVs.

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While some CES concepts tend to be shiny vaporware or buzzword-laden displays — even Kia didn’t shy away from referencing artificial intelligence in its release — the automaker already has several corporate partners lined up to support its PBV rollout and will add a dedicated PBV plant at a South Korean factory set to open in 2025.

Kia plans to develop PBV autonomous driving systems and robotaxis with Motional, which is a partnership between Hyundai Motor Group (Kia is minority-owned by Hyundai) and technology supplier Aptiv. Motional already partners with Uber to operate its own Hyundai Ioniq 5-based driverless taxis in Las Vegas, which it claims have SAE International Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities.

Boston Dynamics is also listed as a future partner for the PBVs, with its Spot and Stretch robots called out as cargo-carrying helpers. Additionally, fleet management systems developed for the PBV will allow users to track inventory, sales, deliveries and other information, as well as do everything from control vehicle temperature to optimize charging and maintenance schedules.

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