KOVA joins the Tusker and EUV E-Power, letting fleet customers choose between a new EV and converting an existing vehicle
Tembo is taking aim at the core of the fleet pickup market with KOVA, a dual-motor electric 4WD utility truck built for mining, agriculture, construction and other demanding off-road work. The Vivopower subsidiary will offer the five-seat dual cab in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Nepal, where it says high and volatile diesel prices are driving fleet interest in electrification.
KOVA, short for Kinetic Off-road Vehicle Architecture, is configured for both rugged off-road terrain and on-road fleet duty. Kevin Chin, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive of Vivopower, said: “Most of the fleet operator demand we see across our key markets is for 4WD utility pickup trucks, based on our in-the-field customer business development activities across multiple industries.”
The pickup uses an 88kWh lithium iron phosphate battery from CATL, with a front motor delivering up to 70kW and 165Nm and a rear motor delivering up to 130kW and 320Nm. Combined peak output is 200kW and 485Nm, and the manufacturer-stated range is up to 510km on the CLTC cycle and 460km on WLTP. DC charging from 20% to 80% takes approximately 45 minutes through a CCS port.
KOVA offers a manufacturer-stated payload of up to 1,200kg and braked towing capacity of up to 3,000kg, with a gross vehicle mass of 3,520kg and gross combination mass of 6,520kg. It uses front coil springs, rear leaf springs and four-wheel disc brakes, with 200mm of ground clearance and a top speed of 120km/h. Safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking, stability control, ABS with electronic brake-force distribution, hill hold and front airbags.
Tembo estimates that around 223,000 new 4WD pickups will be sold across KOVA’s four launch markets in 2026, with a combined retail value of approximately US$9bn across all powertrains. Australia accounts for about 83% of those units and 86% of their value. Four-wheel-drive models make up roughly 89% of new pickup sales in both Australia and New Zealand, compared with around 32% in the Philippines and 25% in Nepal.
Electrification of the segment remains at an early stage. Based on company estimates, battery-electric 4WD pickup sales across the four markets grew from approximately 100 units in 2025 to an annualised pace of around 1,200 units in 2026, still less than 1% of new 4WD pickup sales.
KOVA joins Tembo’s Tusker electric vehicle and its EUV E-Power conversion solution, giving fleet operators the option of either buying new or electrifying existing vehicles. Tembo says its approach to fleet customers takes into account duty cycles, load requirements, charging needs and potential operational savings, alongside aftersales support and parts availability.
Source: GlobeNewsWire
Source: www.automotiveworld.com
