Official Kia Soul EV thread

[PatricioEV]

My take. I got to drive one in Austin, Texas recently. Join the discussion on HuffPost Tech:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-r ... Technology

[tractioninc]

Thanks for sharing the article - you make some really great points.

One additional note is that I prefer the black interior of the regular Soul to the gray that interior of the Soul EV. The interior materials in my car are nice to touch, but just don't look as rich as they would in black:

[PatricioEV]

Yes, that's definitely a personal taste issue. Personally, I prefer beige or charcoal interiors. Black interiors in Texas are HOT! When I added leather to my "12 LEAF, I made them two tone so that the backs and sides matched the light grey of all the plastics touching the seats, but the seating surfaces a darker charcoal to match the darker plastics and give it a richer look.

[mtndrew1]

The gas Soul has a really lovely (to my eyes) black/caramel interior that I would have preferred to the grey/grey in the EV.

Kia also offers "The Whole Shebang" package on the gassers that includes things like Infinity audio, panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, etc. A few weeks back I got a survey from Kia asking if I would have paid extra for such a package had it been available and I responded enthusiastically in the affirmative.

[pkulak]

So of you take out that false floor (I never carry L1 chargers around with me anyway), do you get a lot more trunk space? That's really the only issue I have with the Soul; the smaller cargo area.

[RonDawg]

So of you take out that false floor (I never carry L1 chargers around with me anyway), do you get a lot more trunk space? That's really the only issue I have with the Soul; the smaller cargo area.

The fan for the TMS resides in that space and does take up some room beneath the false floor.

[evnow]

My interest in Soul EV has plummeted ever since the rumor (?) of 30 kWh Leaf MY16 came out. There would be little reason to get Soul over Leaf esp. given the likely street price difference.

[kubel]

My interest in Soul EV has plummeted ever since the rumor (?) of 30 kWh Leaf MY16 came out. There would be little reason to get Soul over Leaf esp. given the likely street price difference.

The battery capacity warranty is a big reason to consider the Soul EV over the LEAF if you plan on a long-term purchase. However, the cost of a Soul EV battery replacement (after warranty) is still unknown.

Kia Soul EV:
70% capacity, 10 years, 100,000 miles
(80 months if you drive 15,000 miles per year)

Nissan LEAF:
66.25% capacity, 5 years, 60,000 miles
(48 months if you drive 15,000 miles per year)

The wording on both warranties is basically the same- they will restore to a minimal threshold. Nissan has shown, in practice, they restore to 100% with a new battery. Kia hasn't had a warranty claim yet, so it remains to be seen how they respond.

[GRA]

Now this is how I'd like all video reviews to be done: http://insideevs.com/alex-autos-reviews ... -ev-video/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[edatoakrun]

AVTA baseline tests of Four 2015 Soul EV battery packs' capacity posted:

http://avt.inl.gov/fsev.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Three show ~30.4 kWh, and one ~30.5 kWh, all with ~400 miles on them.

If anyone knows the ~ build dates for these test cars:

VIN 1908, VIN 1918, VIN 1919, VIN 1920

Please post.

No degradation results posted, yet.