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I remember years ago when Kyle Field emphasized to me that he thought postal vehicles and delivery vehicles should be some of the first vehicles to go electric. It made a lot of sense — clearly known routes or at least delivery territories and mileage, efficiency pays off quickly in total cost of ownership, mostly low speeds and city stop & go traffic, all things EVs excel at. We have seen some deployment of electric postal and delivery vehicles, but the disappointing thing has been how slow these vehicles have electrified on the whole. Perhaps things are changing a bit now.
The latest news in this regard, from earlier today, is that Kia and DHL Korea are teaming up to green logistics in Korea. “Kia Corporation (Kia) has today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with DHL Korea Ltd. to expand the sustainable logistics ecosystem through Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) models,” Kia writes.
We’ve covered Kia’s PBVs several times. The company teased these PBVs at CES in January, and actually super teased them a couple of years ago. In April, we wrote about Kia’s phased plan for PBVs. A couple of months ago, Kia announced that it would begin sales of the PBVs in Japan in 2026. And a few weeks ago, Kia Europe announced plans to expand into light commercial vehicles in Europe and the UK. Things seem to be moving fast.
Circling back to the news today, Kia noted that it is “expanding PBV-related cooperation with a variety of external partners to provide total mobility solutions for its customers.” So, the news isn’t just about DHL Korea. But that’s the focus of the rest of the story. Let’s just assume similar announcements are coming soon.
As we’ve reported in some of those earlier stories, the partnership will begin with the Kia PV5, a midsized PBV. The plan is to expand the partnership with the PV7 (a large PBV) later on. The PV5 is supposed to begin production in 2026 and the PV7 in 2027. Here are more details on the plans for the Kia–DHL partnership:
“Under the agreement, Kia will develop optimized models by identifying specifications optimized for DHL Korea’s business to produce PBV models designed to deliver specific business solutions.
“In the mid- to long-term, Kia plans to continue cooperating with DHL Korea through diverse PBV-linked solutions, such as vehicle charging and warranty service. This PBV-focused collaboration with Kia forms part of DHL Korea’s electrification goal of deploying 100 percent electrified mobility for its logistics business.
“In addition, Kia will seek opportunities to expand its cooperation in various regions, including Asia and Europe.”
Kia also recently made a deal with Fujitsu to sell PBV models to the Japanese tech company.
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