[CES 2024] Kia to make Uber electric vans

Executives from Kia and Uber Technologies, including Yoon Seung-kyu, second from left, CEO of Kia North America, and Susan Anderson, third from left, global head of Uber's business development team pose for a photo with Kia's PV5 at its booth at CES 2024 in Las Vegas on Wednesday. [KIA]

 
LAS VEGAS — Kia will make electric vans for Uber, the first customer for its PV5 modular EV that was unveiled at CES 2024.
 
The Korean company announced the partnership on Wednesday, two days after it unveiled its concept PBVs, or purpose-built vehicles, at the world's largest tech fair in Las Vegas. 
 
Built on a flexible vehicle architecture with different swappable body types, PBVs are designed for specific use cases such as shuttling, last-mile delivery and ride-hailing services.
 
Under the deal, Kia will develop a perfect PBV for Uber by analyzing the driving patterns of Uber drivers. 
 
The vehicle will be based on a mid-size PV5, which will be introduced in 2025 as Kia's first PBV. The concept PV5 was unveiled at CES 2024 for the first time. 
 

A teaser image of Kia's PBV [KIA]

 
Kia and Uber will also collaborate on ways to moderate the total cost of vehicle ownership by analyzing the various PBV options and potential Battery-as-a-service (BaaS) subscription offerings to reduce initial vehicle purchase costs.
 
“PBVs will play a key role in the customization of mobility, and by partnering with Uber, Kia aims to deliver industry-leading technology with advanced software and services to enhance the ride-hailing experience,” said Yoon Seung-kyu, CEO of Kia North America.
 
“Drivers on the Uber platform will also have the ability to choose Kia vehicles with a comprehensive suite of offerings that will ease the ramp-up of electrification and help achieve both Kia’s and Uber’s sustainability goals.”
 
Kia also unveiled concept cars of PV1, the smallest model and PV7, the largest model in the lineup.

 
Kia CEO Song Ho-sung also mentioned Coupang, Kakao Mobility and CJ Logistics as companies it is in talks for potential customers.
 
 
 
 
 
 

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]