Kia Soul EV

Kia Soul EV
Overview
Manufacturer Kia Motors
Production 2014-present
Body and chassis
Class Subcompact crossover SUV
Body style 5-door crossover
Related Kia Soul
Powertrain
Engine 81.4kW (109bhp), torque 285 Nm (210 lb.-ft)
Battery 30.5 kW·h lithium-ion polymer battery, 27 kW·h usable
Range 93 mi (150 km) (EPA)[1]
80 to 120 mi (130 to 190 km) (Kia)[2]

Soul EV is an all-electric subcompact crossover SUV manufactured by Kia Motors. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official range for the 2015 Kia Soul EV is 93 miles.[1]

Deliveries began in South Korea in May 2014.[3][4] European sales began in July 2014.[5] Sales started in the U.S. in October 2014;[6] initially it was sold only in California, Oregon, and several Eastern states, with the largest EV markets and infrastructure including New York, New Jersey and Maryland.[5] Global sales exceeded the 10,000 unit milestone in January 2016, with Europe as the leading market with 6,770 units sold.[7] Germany is the leading European market with 3,853 units sold through December 2015.[8][9]

History

In 2013, Kia started testing prototype versions of a Soul electric vehicle. In November 2013, Kia announced they would be producing the Soul EV and it would go on sale in 2014. The vehicle was unveiled at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show[10] The Soul EV is based on the second generation Kia Soul.[11]

Specifications

The Soul EV is powered by a 27 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack and CHAdeMO fast charging capability of 100 kW DC.[11] The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official range for the 2015 model year Soul EV is 93 mi (150 km) and the EPA rated its combined fuel economy at 105 miles per US gallon gasoline equivalent (2.2 L/100 km equivalent).[1] As of September 2014, the Soul EV had the largest EPA-rated all-electric range in city driving of its class, with 104 mi (167 km).[12] The motor is rated at 81.4 kW (109 bhp) and torque 285 Nm (210 lb.-ft).

Production and sales

2015 Kia Soul EV frontal view
2015 Kia Soul EV rear view
2016 Kia Soul EV+ charging frontal view

Production of the Soul EV began in South Korea in April 2014. Pricing in the South Korean market starts at 42 million won ( ~US$39,400) before a 50% government subsidy. Kia set a global sales target of 5,000 units for 2014.[5] Deliveries began in South Korea in May 2014, with 38 units delivered.[3][4]

On June 12, 2014, Kia began production of the Soul EV for export. First vehicles off the production line are headed to select European countries.[5][13] European retail deliveries began in July 2014.[5][14]

Sales started in the U.S. in October 2014 as 2015 model year.[6] 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.[15] 2016 Kia Soul EVs began sales in Washington state in late July 2015.[16] The Soul EV is available in two trims, with pricing starting at US$33,700 before any applicable government incentives.[17]

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.[18]

Kia announced the 2016 Soul EV would come in three trims: EV-e, EV, and EV+. The EV-e will only be available in California. A Sun & Fun package will be available on the EV+ adding a sunroof, lighted speakers, and interior lighting kit. Other minor changes and colors are being introduced in the 2016 model year.[19]

Global sales passed the 5,000 unit mark in August 2015, of which, 1,177 were sold in South Korea.[20] 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.[7] As of December 2015, the leading European markets were Germany with 3,853 units sold,[8][9] and Norway with 1,637 units.[21][22]

Controversies

According to Der Spiegel, by the early fourth quarter of 2015 the Kia Soul EV ranked as the top selling plug-in electric car in Germany during 2015 with 2,459 units sold, with almost 1,000 registered in October, nevertheless, there were actually only a few of them on German roads. At the time, about 1,400 Soul EVs had been shipped to Norway and sold as used cars, where availability of new Soul EVs is limited. The magazine claims Kia Motors is registering the electric cars in Germany and then shipping them to Norway, which does not belong to the European Union, as a strategy to reduce the average CO2 fleet emissions of the entire Hyundai-Kia Group. This strategy allows the carmaker to comply with European Union regulations that mandate 130 grams of CO2 emission per km in 2015, and so they avoid to pay a fine of €70 million per year for each gram above the established average limit. According to German authorities this loophole is legal.[23] A total of 2,044 Kia Soul EVs were imported to Norway as used cars during 2015.[24]

Marketing

For the 2014 SEMA Show, Kia Motors unveiled a custom Soul EV with a red and white Smitten Ice Cream livery and a refrigerated trailer.[25]

During the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, Kia introduced the 2015 Kia Soul EV hamster commercial featuring “Animals“ by Maroon 5.[26]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy (2014-09-12). "2015 Kia Soul Electric". Fueleconomy.gov. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  2. ↑ Undercoffler, David (6 February 2014). "Chicago Auto Show: Kia unveils all-electric Soul EV". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  3. 1 2 Jose Pontes (28 June 2014). "South Korea May 2014". EVSales.com. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  4. 1 2 Yonhap News Agency (29 June 2014). "Sales of EVs, hybrid cars jump 27.3 pct on-year in 2014: report". Global Post. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Eric Loveday (11 March 2014). "Production of Kia Soul EV to Begin in April – Sales to Follow Immediately in South Korea". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  6. 1 2 Jay Cole (2014-11-03). "October 2014 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Sales Report Card". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  7. 1 2 "Global sales of Soul EV top 10,000 units" (Press release). Seoul: Yonhap. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2016-03-03. The Soul EV posted combined global sales of 10,210 units through January 2016, with the overseas market taking up 8,630 units.
  8. 1 2 Jose Pontes (2015-01-19). "Germany December 2014". EVSales.com. Retrieved 2015-10-08. A total of 14 Soul EVs were sold in Germany in 2014.
  9. 1 2 Jose, Pontes (2016-01-25). "Germany December 2015". EVSales.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03. A total of 3,839 Soul EVs were sold in Germany in 2015.
  10. ↑ Undercoffler, David (6 February 2014). "Chicago Auto Show: Kia unveils all-electric Soul EV". L.A. Times. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  11. 1 2 Mike Szostech. "Kia Soul EV coming in 2014 with range of more than 120 miles". My Electric Car Forums. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  12. ↑ Eric Loveday (2014-09-12). "2015 Kia Soul EV Gets Official EPA Range Rating Of 93 Miles – City Range Will Blow Your Mind". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  13. ↑ Mike Szostech. "Kia Soul EV production for export begins". My Electric Car Forums. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  14. ↑ Beene, Ryan (6 February 2014). "Kia Soul EV to launch in 3rd quarter". Automotive News. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "Kia Soul EV Availability". Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  16. ↑ http://kiasoulevlife.com/
  17. ↑ Sebastian Blanco (2014-09-11). "Kia Soul EV priced at $33,700*, leases start at $249/month". Autoblog Green. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  18. ↑ Mike Szostech. "Kia Soul EV Availability". My Kia Soul EV. My Electric Car Forums. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  19. ↑ http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/media/pressreleases/10414/2016-kia-soul-ev-overview
  20. ↑ Yonhap (2015-10-08). "Global sales of Soul EV top 5,000 units". Yonhap News. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
  21. ↑ Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) (January 2015). "CO2-utslippet i desember 2014" [CO2 emissions in December 2014] (in Norwegian). OFV. Retrieved 2016-03-03. 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.
  22. ↑ Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) (January 2016). "CO2-utslippet i desember" [CO2 emissions in December] (in Norwegian). OFV. Retrieved 2016-03-03. 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.
  23. ↑ Nils-Viktor Sorge and Wilfried Eckl-Dorna (2015-11-26). "Dubiose Zulassungs-Strategie:Dieser Ladenhüter trickst Kias Umweltbilanz schön" [Dubious approval strategy: This dealer is tricking beautifully Kia's environmental balance]. Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  24. ↑ Moberg, Knut (2016-01-16). "Bilsalget i 2015: Tidenes bronseplass" [Car sales in 2015: The bronze age]. Dinside.com (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2016-03-05. See table: "Topp 5 bruktimport i 2015"
  25. ↑ Mihalascu, Dan (2014-10-17). "Kia Previews SEMA Lineup with Smitten Ice Cream Soul EV". Carscoops.com. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
  26. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYWHsOeDf3M
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