The Soul EV and Soul EV+ have beginning prices of close to $35,000 and $37,000, respectively, if you choose to drive an electric vehicle.
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What will the price of the 2020 Kia Soul EV be?
The base EX model level of the 2019 Kia Niro EV crossover utility vehicle will be available for purchase for $44,995, before freight and delivery fees. The price of the Niro EV SX Touring is $53,995.
The base MSRP for the Premium model of the 2020 Kia Soul EV, which is categorized as a car, is $42,595 before freight and delivery fees, while the Soul EV Limited will start at $51,595.
In all four instances, Canadian customers will receive a federal rebate of up to $5,000, a second reimbursement of up to $8,000 for residents of Quebec, and a before-tax rebate of up to $5,000 for residents of British Columbia.
The Kia Niro EV and Kia Soul EV are currently for sale. But it doesn’t matter because the federal rebate will only be available for cars bought or leased as of May 1, 2019.
What will the Kia Soul EV cost in 2021?
Therefore, this is as good a time as any to discuss the one significant factor that will prevent the electric vehicle from following its internal combustion-powered sister into much higher driveway prices. A gas-powered Soul is available for as little as $21,195. For 2021, the least expensive Soul EV will cost $42, 895. Even with the $5,000 federal rebate and the subsidies provided by the governments of Quebec and British Columbia, switching to environmentally friendly driving requires a sizable expense on the part of the typical Joe or Jane.
How long does an EV battery last?
An electric vehicle obtains its power straight from a large pack of batteries, as opposed to internal combustion engined cars, which get their energy from burning gasoline or fuel.
These resemble an enlarged version of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery in your smartphone; however, electric vehicles (EVs) use packs made up of thousands of individual Li-ion cells that cooperate to power the vehicle. Electricity is utilized to change the batteries’ chemical composition while the car is charging. These modifications are then reversed when the vehicle is in motion to create electricity.
Electric car battery technology
While driving, EV batteries go through cycles of “discharge,” and they “charge,” when the car is plugged in. The battery’s ability to keep a charge is affected by how often you repeat this operation. As a result, the distance between charges and the time between trips are reduced. The majority of manufacturers offer a battery guarantee of five to eight years. A battery for an electric vehicle, however, is currently expected to last 1020 years before needing to be replaced.
It’s surprisingly easy to understand how a battery and the car’s electric motor function together.
The wheels are driven by electric motors that are connected to the battery. When you step on the gas, the car immediately supplies the motor with power, which progressively uses up the energy stored in the batteries.
When you release the accelerator, the automobile starts to slow down by turning its forward momentum back into power thanks to the fact that electric motors can also function as generators. This effect is amplified if you apply the brakes. By recovering energy that would otherwise be lost during braking, regenerative braking increases battery life and extends the travel distance of an automobile.
Electric car battery lithium-ion
Electric vehicles and a variety of portable electronics employ lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, a type of rechargeable battery. Compared to normal lead-acid or nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries, they have a higher energy density. As a result, the size of the battery pack as a whole can be decreased by battery makers.
The lightest of all metals is lithium. However, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries only have ions and not lithium metal. Ions are atoms or molecules having an electric charge brought on by the loss or gain of one or more electrons, for those who are unsure of what an ion is.
In addition to being safer than many alternatives, lithium-ion batteries must also have safety precautions in place to safeguard consumers in the unlikely case of a battery failure. To protect the batteries during frequent, rapid charging sessions that take place quickly, manufacturers, for example, install charging protections in electric vehicles.
Why was the Kia Soul EV withdrawn from sale?
As Autoblog noted, initially, Kia put off shipping the second-generation Soul EV to the United States because of supply concerns. For many individuals, 2020 wasn’t a wonderful year, and for Kia, there weren’t enough batteries to go around. As a result, Kia had to make a decision, and they finally decided to push back the Soul EV until 2021.
However, that delay quickly turned into the Soul EV’s complete cancellation, at least for America. Kia chose to discontinue producing any Soul EV models for the American market, although it will still be offered in other areas, according to Autoblog. The fundamental cause of the Soul EV’s U.S. discontinuation was straightforward, and it’s actually connected to the original reason the second generation was delayed.
The Niro EV car received priority for batteries because Kia believed it to be superior. The Niro EV has no competition inside the Kia brand now that the Soul EV has been discontinued in the United States, thus the business can concentrate on battling other automakers.
How long do the batteries in a Kia Soul EV last?
The normal battery life of a 2020 Kia Soul is 3 to 5 years, although actual battery life might vary greatly depending on driving behavior, weather, and battery type. Even yet, a battery’s performance may not be at its peak even if it isn’t fully dead.
How far is the Kia Soul EV’s range?
Although the Soul EV has been available since 2014, it hasn’t been a particularly popular vehicle, so there aren’t many options to choose from on the used market.
- Kia Soul EV: from 2014
- Prices range from $9,000.
- Range (upon launch): 132280 miles
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It’s hardly surprising that several manufacturers are utilizing these models to introduce their cutting-edge electric vehicles given the enormous SUV market. One of these businesses is Kia, which was a forerunner by integrating an electric drivetrain into the quirky Soul in 2014.
It was introduced with just one high-specification trim level and kept the stylish exterior and interior of the popular ordinary Soul. Although dwarfed by more modern versions, its 132-mile range was actually class-leading at the time and should still appeal to city dwellers.
2019 saw the launch of a new model with two available powertrains. While the larger battery pack more than doubles the range of its predecessor, the smaller battery pack is more equivalent to the previous model and has a greater range of 172 miles.
Prices
Due to the rising popularity of electric vehicles and the high upfront cost of new models, used electric vehicles have largely maintained their value. As a result, early examples, though just six or even a year old, have just recently begun to fall below 10,000. Between 30,000 and 50,000 miles are typical.
Despite this, Kia only sold a small number of those early automobiles, therefore there aren’t many in the classifieds. Sales didn’t begin to pick up until later in its lifespan, just before the new model was released.
As a result, prices may jump quite a little. The new generation models start at roughly 25,000, whereas the early models cost between 10,000 and 15,000, albeit most do have a larger battery.
Because there is just one trim available for these models, the sole option to watch out for starting with 2019 models is battery size. There were only two colors available in the earliest iterations. While the on-board amenities featured cloth upholstery, an eight-inch touchscreen screen, air conditioning, and 16-inch alloy wheels, the exterior was either all-silver or blue with a white roof.
A variety of cutting-edge safety features are offered, and later models get a 10.25-inch widescreen infotainment system with good communication with smartphone devices.
Spotting a Kia Soul EV
Since Kia wanted to keep the models as similar as possible so they could be put together on the same assembly line, it would take some serious inspection to tell an electric Soul from from its gasoline-powered brethren.
The most obvious symptom is the absence of a radiator grille on the front of the car, as well as the removal of the gasoline filler cap and the modification of the rear lights. You might also notice a few minor adjustments inside. There is a little less legroom and a boot with a 31-liter reduction to 281 liters in order to put the batteries beneath the floor.
When it comes to 2019 models and newer, it’s lot simpler. Kia opted to only sell the most recent model as an EV here because the first generation Soul EV was actually selling better in electric form in Europe than its fuel variants.
Top tech
The Soul EV had a class-leading powertrain when it was introduced, so even if it is currently behind some of the major players, it is still competitive with many of the smaller-range electric vehicles that have been introduced in the previous 12 months.
The 109bhp electric motor and 27kWh battery pack in the original model gave it a range of 132 miles between charges. Although it is not very nimbleit accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in little over 10 secondsit has adequate performance for the metropolitan commute.
Its charging speed is where it falls a little short of more advanced EVs; an 0-80% charge, which corresponds to around 100 miles of range, takes about 30 minutes.
There are options for both short- and long-range batteries in the more recent model. Starting with the smaller of the two, it has a 39.2kWh capacity and a 134bhp electric motor, giving it a range of up to 172 miles.
Last but not least, the larger battery in the new model, with a 64kWh capacity and a range of up to 280 miles between charges. This particular variant has a 201bhp more potent electric motor.
Both versions have a charging capacity of up to 100kW, meaning they can be charged at a public fast charger from 20% to 80% of capacity in 42 minutes. Despite the various battery sizes, Kia claims that this figure is the same for both versions.
Fuel economy
Those range estimates should be treated with caution, as they always should be with electric vehicles. How much range you’ll get from a full charge depends on a variety of things, including the type of driving you do and even the weather.
Fortunately, Kia made some bold claims about its efficiency at the time of the launch of the most recent model. According to official test results, the smaller battery was 30% more efficient than the then-best-selling EV in Europe, and the bigger battery was 24% better off, making it one of the most efficient EVs in its class.
However, the Soul is best suited for driving within cities to make the most of its efficiency. Like the majority of EVs, it has regenerative braking, a brilliant technique that uses heat energy that would otherwise be lost during braking to top off the batteries and extend range. The battery will deplete much more quickly at constant highway speeds where little braking is required.
What goes wrong?
The reliability of an electric car is one of its major advantages over a combustion-engined vehicle, and the Kia Soul EV is a good example of this because owners have experienced very few issues with it over the years.
In truth, the ordinary Soul consistently performs well, and Kia as a whole consistently receives great ratings from owners.
The fact that all Souls are covered by Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile guarantee, which only applies to the very first models, provides further comfort.
Because the Soul has never undergone Euro NCAP testing, it is impossible to make a firm judgment regarding its overall safety. Although other Kia automobiles have recently achieved four and five star ratings, this one does have a respectable level of driver aid systems.
Charging
For older versions, Kia claims that the 27kWh battery can be charged from zero to eighty percent capacity in around 30 minutes using a public rapid charger, five hours using a fast charger, or up to thirteen hours using a residential plug outlet.
When purchasing a secondhand vehicle, it is important to confirm that the red adaptor cable for public charging is included with the vehicle. Each model was shipped with one. Through a flap in the front grille that has been covered up, the charging cable attaches to the vehicle.
All recent versions of automobiles come equipped with Combined Charging System (CCS) DC chargers, which allow both battery packs to be fully charged from 20% to 80% at a 100kW public charger in less than 45 minutes.
These models also integrate with a smartphone app that enables remote charge status monitoring as well as one-button charging pause and resume. When charging at home, you can plug in the car and postpone charging until cheaper rates take effect the next day.
Summary
The Soul EV offers everything we love about Kiafunky style, superb build quality, and an electric vehicle that is incredibly handy and practical. Older models have a respectable range but are best suited for city commuters, whereas more recent models offer a tremendously remarkable range and quick charging.
Nearly new examples maintain their worth very well due to tremendous demand. In light of this, it could be preferable to search for new models and take advantage of reduced depreciation. If your budget doesn’t allow for that, models that are at least five years old can be found for less than $10,000 and yet promise a similar range to some at the lower end of the new market, making them an excellent deal.
How far can a Kia Soul EV travel?
The 2021 Kia Soul EV combines cute and boxy with environmentally sustainable.
one of our favorite SUVs in all-electric form. While the Soul EV is emission-free, it isn’t fun-free; its 201 horsepower electric motor keeps the Soul’s trademark vivacity, and its cheeky design makes it just as attractive. Kia has endowed the Soul EV with a sizable battery pack that can provide up to 243 miles of driving range on a full charge, dispelling any notion that it is all flair and no substance. Kia has opted not to proceed with plans to market the Soul EV in the United States, despite the fact that it would have been a viable competitor to well-known EVs like the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the Hyundai Kona Electric, and the Nissan Leaf Plus.