The humble delivery van has come a long way. Kia’s PV5, until recently best known as a versatile electric workhorse, has been seconded into law enforcement. The company has signed on with the Korean National Police Agency to build a high-tech, AI-equipped patrol vehicle that also happens to carry a drone.

Visually, the PV5 already looks the part with its futuristic LEDs and sleek surfacing. For its new role, it wears a police livery with blue and yellow graphics over its black and white bodywork. The biggest party trick, though, is the roof extension housing an integrated drone station.

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When the PV5 pulls up to a scene, a section of the roof opens and an automated AI police drone takes flight. It handles aerial patrol in tight alleys and hazardous areas, the sort of places where the van itself, and indeed the officers, cannot or should not go.

The drone carries thermal imaging and a 90x zoom camera, useful kit for tracking suspects or finding missing persons. Once the job is done, it flies back to its dock and recharges using the van’s V2L system. As for the PV5 itself, no changes have been reported to the battery or electric powertrain.

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The roof structure also carries three AI-powered cameras providing 360-degree coverage with no blind spots. The software is clever enough to identify suspects by clothing or accessories, working through a crowd in real time and flagging up potential matches.

The AI can also detect specific threats like weapon-carrying individuals or injured citizens who may have fallen on the ground. It even includes crowd density monitoring to alert authorities for potential overcapacity risks in public spaces.

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The police-prepped Kia PV5 is scheduled to begin pilot operations in June 2026. It will be part of the Metropolitan Preventive Patrol Unit of the South Korean police force, focused on crime prevention and rapid response.

While this particular AI patrol vehicle is exclusive to Korea, it will be interesting to see whether the PV5 will serve as a base for police conversions in other parts of the world.

Just after unveiling its all-new electric C-Class, Mercedes-Benz confirmed a key piece of its future EV strategy. The next generation of its electric models will draw power from battery cells supplied by South Korea’s Samsung SDI.

The agreement, signed earlier this week, secures a steady flow of nickel, cobalt, and manganese (NMC) battery cells. Samsung claims these packs will deliver strong energy density, long service life, and the kind of sustained output and range figures premium EV buyers have come to expect, at least on paper.

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Mercedes has yet to put a firm date on when these NMC batteries from Samsung will make their debut. Still, industry insiders point to models built on the upcoming Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) from 2028 onward. That would cover a wide spread of compact and mid-size SUVs, along with a handful of coupes that, for now, remain unnamed.

German Cars, Asian Batteries

The German brand already offers several of its EVs with NMC batteries, including the CLA 250+ and CLA 350 4Matic, sourced from China’s CATL. In addition, the all-electric Mercedes VLE uses a 115 kWh NMC battery pack, while the newly-revealed electric C-Class uses a 94.5 kWh NMC battery, promising a range of up to 472 miles (760 km).

“This partnership brings together the innovative DNA of both companies,” Samsung SDI said. “It is meaningful in that SAMSUNG SDI has secured a battery order aimed at strengthening its position in the global EV market.”

There are trade-offs between nickel, cobalt, and manganese (NMC) batteries and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) packs, the two chemistries currently dominating the EV space. NMC’s headline advantage is energy density, which means more range from a similarly sized battery, something premium brands tend to prioritize.

LFP, on the other hand, takes a more pragmatic approach. These packs are typically more durable over time and can be charged to 100 percent far more frequently without accelerating degradation. That makes them well suited to daily-use scenarios, even if they cannot quite match NMC’s outright range potential.