Kia Soul EV

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hybridbear

Well-known member
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Apr 7, 2014
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The Soul EV sounds really good on paper. I hope it is as good in real life as it sounds.

This article is a rather good summary of it: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095421_2015-kia-soul-ev-first-drive-of-newest-electric-car
 
The blemish against it is that it won't be available nationwide. I sure hope that Kia decides to make it available in all 50 states.
 
I actually saw one driving on the street yesterday.

Nicer tail lights (LED it seemed) than the regular Soul... and I swear that I saw a two thug hamsters inside.
 
WattsUp said:
I actually saw one driving on the street yesterday.

Nicer tail lights (LED it seemed) than the regular Soul... and I swear that I saw a two thug hamsters inside.

But the Soul EV has scientist hamsters!
 
The increased range compared to the FFE and Nissan Leaf is promising.
Kia Soul EV has an EPA-rated 93 miles compared to ~76 miles on the FFE.
Hope reasonably priced electric vehicles keep improving on increasing range over the next couple years.
 
I test drove one for fun and mostly enjoyed it. I'm jealous of the CHAdeMO charger, longer range, and much roomier interior. That said, the FoFo has a few advantages. The Soul doesn't handle as well and acceleration is comparatively sluggish. The interior's fit and finish aren't quite as nice as Ford's.
 
I checked one out yesterday.

Agree, interior is far short of the FFE. I was in the "loaded" one with leather and yet it still felt cheap, like something a 20-something person would enjoy, not for old guys like me. Speakers on the dashboard looked like little muffin tops.

I ran the heater full-tilt and it drew less than 2 kW, so this is a huge improvement over the FFE.

It also includes an 80% and 100% charge option, something I've always wanted in the FFE, but this caused me to wonder about the range and actual battery capacity. I understand it has a 27 kWh battery, but is this total or usable? The FFE boasts a 23 kWh battery, but only 18 or so are usable. I will be interested to learn whether the Soul's 100% setting is comparable to the FFE's (i.e., still only a reasonable portion of the total, suitable for everyday use) or if it's like Tesla/Toyota/Mercedes in that it's an "extended" charge to be used only when necessary.

Back seat room was very good compared to FFE, as was storage space.

The color was bizzare...black body with bright orange roof. I assumed it was an aftermarket deal but the salesman assured me it was factory.

All-in-all not as high on my list now as when I first heard about it and its 100 mile real-world range.
 
michael said:
I checked one out yesterday.

Agree, interior is far short of the FFE. I was in the "loaded" one with leather and yet it still felt cheap, like something a 20-something person would enjoy, not for old guys like me. Speakers on the dashboard looked like little muffin tops.

I ran the heater full-tilt and it drew less than 2 kW, so this is a huge improvement over the FFE.

It also includes an 80% and 100% charge option, something I've always wanted in the FFE, but this caused me to wonder about the range and actual battery capacity. I understand it has a 27 kWh battery, but is this total or usable? The FFE boasts a 23 kWh battery, but only 18 or so are usable. I will be interested to learn whether the Soul's 100% setting is comparable to the FFE's (i.e., still only a reasonable portion of the total, suitable for everyday use) or if it's like Tesla/Toyota/Mercedes in that it's an "extended" charge to be used only when necessary.

Back seat room was very good compared to FFE, as was storage space.

The color was bizzare...black body with bright orange roof. I assumed it was an aftermarket deal but the salesman assured me it was factory.

All-in-all not as high on my list now as when I first heard about it and its 100 mile real-world range.
Thanks for your report. The Soul EV only comes in goofy colors. Were you in the EV base or EV+ trim? We wanted to check one out when in Cali in January but none were available at dealers in the Palm Springs area and we weren't going to drive to Ontario just to drive the Soul EV. I'll be in the Bay Area in the fall for a work conference and I plan to drive one then.
 
It was the high-end + trim, had leather but not as nice as FFEs. Overall standard of the interior was more "rental car" in my opinion...but functionally it had some very good points.

Also...was a little pricey compared to FFE, MSRP was in mid-30s. I didn't want to start dealing with the salesman on the details.
 
cwstnsko said:
From the accounts I've read, the Soul EV has 27kWh of usable battery, full capacity is probably 30-31. That's about 40% more capacity than the FFE.
I'm not sure whether to be interested in whats going on with the Soul EV because I'll probably never get to test drive one, or have the option to buy one since I don't live in one of the few markets they are willing to sell in.
The Soul EV is currently for sale in Washington. This is one of the "new" markets that Kia has decided to expand to outside of their original planned sales footprint.
 
cwstnsko said:
From the accounts I've read, the Soul EV has 27kWh of usable battery, full capacity is probably 30-31. That's about 40% more capacity than the FFE.
I'm not sure whether to be interested in whats going on with the Soul EV because I'll probably never get to test drive one, or have the option to buy one since I don't live in one of the few markets they are willing to sell in.

Yes, that's the question. If hypothetically the full capacity were 30 kWH, then 27 kWh would be a little on the high side for daily use. The FFE appears to use about 82% for nominal 100% as seen on the dash display (SOC 90% to 8%)

I would love to know this for sure. Also, to know to whether Kia recommends using the 100% option for everyday use.
 
cwstnsko said:
hybridbear said:
The Soul EV is currently for sale in Washington. This is one of the "new" markets that Kia has decided to expand to outside of their original planned sales footprint.

Interesting, the web site will now let me build and price a Soul EV based on my zip code, but it tells me that the closest cars are in California and the are no Soul EV qualified/certified dealers in the state of WA, or in the Portland, OR area for that matter. I'll keep an eye out, maybe they'll allow one into the state by the time our NDEW event happens and I'll get to see one there :)

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1503-2015-kia-soul-ev-availability-expands-to-five-more-states/
 
cwstnsko said:
hybridbear said:
The Soul EV is currently for sale in Washington. This is one of the "new" markets that Kia has decided to expand to outside of their original planned sales footprint.

Interesting, the web site will now let me build and price a Soul EV based on my zip code, but it tells me that the closest cars are in California and the are no Soul EV qualified/certified dealers in the state of WA, or in the Portland, OR area for that matter. I'll keep an eye out, maybe they'll allow one into the state by the time our NDEW event happens and I'll get to see one there :)

From the article:
"Georgia, home of the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia plant in West Point, will be the first additional Kia Soul EV market, with sales scheduled to start in the second quarter of this year. The four other states are expected to begin selling the electric hatchback in June."
 
I test drove one yesterday in Hawaii. It was with the leather option, and I thought it was rather nice. The trunk space was great as well as the 2nd row spaciousness. I liked the level 3 DC connection, and the touch screen was clear and crisp. The colors are funky though. The solid white would be my only option.
 
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