Kia's revolutionary modular electric vehicle design, which ranges from a microcar to a minivan to a compact truck to a full-sized van, has its first customer: Uber. Kia and Uber have inked an agreement to deploy Kia's new cars for ride-hailing.
Kia recently unveiled the new Platform Beyond Vehicles (PBV) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, all constructed on a flexible vehicle architecture with bodywork that can be swapped out, Duplo-style, depending on your needs. The driver's cab remains permanent, but the vehicle's back end can be swapped out with interchangeable pieces, transforming it from a micro-car to a minivan to a compact truck with a covered bed to a full-sized working van. The weld-less top structures come in kit form, which may attach to the driver cab using a hybrid electromagnetic and mechanical coupling technology, as Electrek's Scooter Doll reported from CES.
According to a news statement, Uber is introducing the PV5 as a driver choice as part of its objective of operating an all electric fleet globally by 2040. With replaceable modules, the PV5 may be turned from a passenger car to a van to a truck and even into a robotaxi.
Source: Kia
The agreement with Kia calls for the two companies "to identify optimal specifications for PBV models, with the possible further integration of technology and services to benefit drivers and ride hailing users alike." Kia and Uber will collaborate to develop "proofs of concept, prototypes, and the production of PBVs tailored to the needs of Uber platform drivers."
Kia's target is to create 150,000 PBVs by 2025, increasing to 300,000 per year by 2030.
Of course, these vehicles resemble Canoo's customisable EVs, and it appears that Hyundai/Kia explored partnering with Canoo. But it didn't work out, but it's evident they looked to Canoo for inspiration here.
Meanwhile, local governments are putting pressure on Uber to clean up its act and transition its drivers to EVs. However, getting hundreds of thousands of drivers to do so would be difficult because it comes out of their own pockets as independent contractors. Does this agreement imply that Uber will assist with the financing of these Kia modu-mobiles? Maybe. We've reached out to Uber to see what they have to say and will update this piece as soon as we hear back.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Kia
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