The Kia Soul EV (also known as Kia e-Soul) is an all-electric

subcompact Subcompact car is a North American classification for cars smaller than a compact car. It is broadly equivalent to the B-segment (Europe), supermini (Great Britain) or A0-class (China) classifications. According to the U.S. Environmental Prot ...

crossover SUV A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( ...

manufactured by Kia and based on the Kia Soul. The

US Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

(EPA) official range for the 2020 Kia Soul EV is 243 miles (391 km). Deliveries of the first generation began in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

in May 2014. European sales began in July 2014. Sales started in the U.S. in October 2014; initially it was sold only in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, and several Eastern states with the largest EV markets and infrastructure including New York,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Global sales exceeded the 10,000 unit milestone in January 2016, with Europe as the leading market with 6,770 units sold. Germany was the leading European market with 3,853 units sold through December 2015. A second generation was introduced in 2019 for the 2020 model year, sold in both Europe and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was delayed until 2021 for the US market.

History

In 2013, Kia began testing prototype versions of a Soul electric vehicle. In November 2013, Kia announced they would be producing a Soul EV and that it would go on sale in 2014. The vehicle was unveiled at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show. The first-generation Soul EV was based on the second-generation Kia Soul.

First generation

The first-generation Soul EV was powered by a 27 kWh

lithium-ion polymer battery A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly and others), is a rechargeable battery of lithium-ion technology using a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyt ...

pack and 30 kWh for 2018 model year. It is capable of 100 kW DC

CHAdeMO CHAdeMO is a fast-charging system for battery electric vehicles, developed starting in 2010 by the CHAdeMO Association, formed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company and five major Japanese automakers. The name is an abbreviation of "CHArge de MOve ...

rapid charging. The

(EPA) official range for the 2015

model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...

Soul EV is and rated it at 105 MPGe ( equivalent) combined. , the Soul EV had the largest EPA-rated all-electric range in city driving of its class, at . The motor is rated at 81.4 kW (109 bhp) and 285 Nm (210 lb.-ft). For the 2018 model year, Kia announced a small 11% battery upgrade. By adding 8 cells to the pack, the usable cell capacity increased from 37.5 Ah to 40 Ah out of 42.4 Ah, increasing the battery pack storage capacity to 30 kWh. File:Kia Soul EV Tromso 10 2018 2164 (cropped).jpg, alt=, First generation Kia Soul EV File:Kia Soul EV Tromso 09 2018 1875 (cropped).jpg, alt=, First generation Kia Soul EV

Second generation

For the 2020 model year, Kia announced a significant battery upgrade to a 64 kWh

LiPo A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly and others), is a rechargeable battery of lithium-ion technology using a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyt ...

battery pack, doubling capacity and range from the previous generation. With a redesign, the EV will be the only variant to be offered in Europe while only the gasoline version is offered in the US for MY2020 and onwards. Both gasoline and EV versions continue to be offered in Canada. The motor is rated at 201 hp. This vehicle is the third in the series of long range EVs put on the market by Hyundai-Kia, after the Hyundai Kona Electric and the Kia Niro EV.

Specifications

Range

Production and sales

First generation

Production of the Soul EV began in South Korea in April 2014. Pricing in the South Korean market started at 42 million won (~), before a 50% government subsidy. Kia set a global sales target of 5,000 units for 2014. Deliveries began in South Korea in May 2014, with 38 units delivered. On June 12, 2014, Kia began production of the Soul EV for export. The first vehicles off the production line went to select European countries. European retail deliveries began in July 2014. Sales started in the U.S. in October 2014 as 2015

. Initially it was sold only in California, but in March 2015, Kia Motors North America announced the Soul EV would be available in Georgia in the second quarter of 2015, and Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and Texas would receive the EV later in the year. 2016 Kia Soul EVs began sales in Washington state in late July 2015. It was available in two trims, with pricing starting at before any applicable government incentives. In November 2014, the Kia Soul EV went on sale in the UK for £24,995 after the government's £5,000 Plug-in Car Grant. Kia announced the 2016 Soul EV would come in three trims: EV-e, EV, and EV+. The EV-e was only available in California. A Sun & Fun package on the EV+ added a sunroof, and lighting for the speakers and interior. Other minor changes and colors were introduced. Global sales passed the 5,000 unit mark in August 2015, of which 1,177 were sold in South Korea. The 10,000 unit milestone was reached in January 2016, with Europe as the leading market with 6,770 units sold, followed by South Korea with 1,580, and the United States with 1,411. ''The Soul EV posted combined global sales of 10,210 units through January 2016, with the overseas market taking up 8,630 units.'' , the leading European markets were Germany with 3,853 units sold, ''A total of 14 Soul EVs were sold in Germany in 2014''. ''A total of 3,839 Soul EVs were sold in Germany in 2015''. and Norway with 1,637 units. ''See graph: "Gjennomsnittlig CO2-utslipp for registrerte ney personbiler per modell 2015, til og med desember." A total of 617 Kia Soul EVs were registered in Norway in 2014.'' ''See graph: "Gjennomsnittlig CO2-utslipp for registrerte ney personbiler per modell 2015, til og med desember." A total of 1,020 Kia Soul EVs were registered in Norway in 2015.'' During 2015, 2,044 Soul EVs were imported to Norway as used cars. The magazine Der Spiegel claimed that Kia registered the cars in Germany and then shipped them to Norway, which does not belong to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

. This legal loophole helped the Hyundai-Kia Group lower its average fleet emissions, avoiding a hefty fine.

Second generation

The 2020 Kia Soul EV costs 319,900 NOK (US$ 36,600)As of December 8, 2020 in Norway, less than its internal competitor, the Hyundai Kona Electric and considerably less than the larger Kia Niro EV (another potential competitor, the

Chevrolet Bolt The Chevrolet Bolt or Chevrolet Bolt EV is a battery electric subcompact hatchback produced by General Motors under the Chevrolet marque. It was developed and manufactured in partnership with LG Corporation. A rebadged European variant was ...

, is no longer imported to Europe via official channels). With demand for EVs reportedly exceeding battery supply, Hyundai-Kia decided to divert batteries to the production of the more expensive Kia Niro (the Niro and the Soul share the same battery), which was the claimed reason for limiting Soul EV production and delaying entry into the US market until 2021. The Soul EV is the only variant of the Soul sold in Europe. In the first ten months of 2020, European sales totaled 6,768 units.

Marketing

For the 2014

SEMA Sama ( tr, Sema, Persian, Urdu and ar, سَمَاع - ''samā‘un'') is a Sufi ceremony performed as part of the meditation and prayer practice dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance".During, J., and R. Sellheim. "Sam ...

Show, Kia Motors unveiled a custom Soul EV with a red and white Smitten Ice Cream livery and a refrigerated trailer. In August 2014, Kia Motors introduced the 2015 Soul EV hamster commercial featuring "

Animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

" by Maroon 5.

Notes

References

External links

* (International)
A trace of the consumption of a Kia Soul EV 2016.
{{Kia Production electric cars Soul EV Mini sport utility vehicles Crossover sport utility vehicles Cars introduced in 2014

History

First generation

Second generation

Specifications

Range

Production and sales

First generation

Second generation

Marketing

See also

Notes

References

External links