Asger Risom
The WKNDR concept imagines a future where your wheels help charge your electric van — even while parked.
As electric vehicles become more common, the real question is no longer if you can go off the grid — but how far you can go without losing power.
For outdoor enthusiasts, digital nomads, and anyone who’s ever looked for a charging cable in the middle of nowhere, the promise of a self-sustaining camper van isn’t just futuristic — it’s overdue.
At this year’s EV Day in Barcelona, Kia offered its vision of that future. It’s called the WKNDR, and it’s a concept EV designed to power your trip with the elements around you — whether that’s sunlight, wind, or the current of a shallow stream.
Concept cars are often where design meets daydreaming. But Kia’s latest electric van prototype doesn’t just push boundaries — it tries to redefine how we think about vehicles altogether.
At the core of this futuristic design? A van that generates power from nature itself.
Unveiled in March at Kia’s EV Day in Barcelona, the PV5 WKNDR is a modular, all-electric overlanding van with a solar-panelled rooftop tent, a customizable interior, and a never-before-seen feature: hydro-turbine wheels that capture energy from wind and water.
Power Where There’s No Plug
The WKNDR is built for going off-grid. In addition to solar panels, its 35-inch turbine-equipped wheels are designed to spin even when the van is parked.
The idea? If you’re camping in windy conditions or crossing a stream, the movement of the wheels could generate extra energy to charge the battery.
We basically have the desert in our backyard; go out there.
said Andre Franco Luis, Kia’s Head of Future Design, describing how he encouraged his team to test real-world ideas rather than rely on desk research.
Inside, the WKNDR is a “Swiss Army Knife on wheels.” The seats swivel, slide, and turn into tables. Built-in rails support gear storage, and the pop-up tent integrates with solar tech to extend the vehicle’s range while stationary.
From Dream to Prototype
Kia revealed the concept at the SEMA show — one of the most scrutinizing stages in the automotive world. To pass the test, engineers even reworked the suspension to suit serious off-road tires from brands Toyo and Nitto.
The SEMA crowd knows what they’re doing … If we hadn’t done it right, they would have spotted it quickly.
Franco Luis says the turbine wheel idea came from his own frustration with gusty wind while camping.
The team initially tried placing turbines on the roof but found the result awkward, and the look “weird”, and instead chose to focus on the tires. Integrating the tech into the wheels kept the van’s sleek look intact.
As reported by Popular Science, the WKNDR is still just a concept — no production timeline, no energy data yet. But for Kia, that’s not the point. The goal is to show what’s possible when design is allowed to dream beyond the road ahead.