The Soul EV is too often ignored by people in the market for an electric vehicle. In order to change that, Kia decided to update the crossover to 30 kWh capacity, thus enabling an NEDC range of 250 kilometers.
The Soul EV went on sale in its domestic country in May 2014, with the Old Continent and the U.S. following soon after. The 27 kWh battery of the lithium-ion polymer variety is enough for 212 kilometers in the Euro-spec model, whereas the U.S. version offers an EPA range of 93 miles.
For 2018, according to a leaked specs sheet from Kia-World, the Soul EV gets even better. Thanks to a 3 kWh increase in capacity, range is now up to 250 kilometers. In the U.S., that will translate to more than 100 miles, 113 miles tops. In other words, the electrified Soul is hot on the heels of the 107-mile/250-kilometer 2017 model year Nissan Leaf.
The document, which is written in German and addressed to a German dealer, further reveals that the number of cells went up from 192 to 200. There’s also the matter of voltage: 360V versus 375V. As for weight, the bigger battery tips the scales at 290 kilograms compared to the 277-kilo pack in the current model year of the Soul EV. This, in turn, is a pointer that curb weight of the vehicle will also go up from the present-day 1,565 kg.
From a German-spec 230V/10A plug, the 30 kWh battery can be juiced up to 100 percent in circa 20 hours. A 6.6 kilowatt-hour charging point is capable of doing the same in 5.5 to 6 hours. Slated to go official in the latter part of 2017 for 2018, the Soul EV is expected to soldier on as a great value and nicely equipped means of eco-friendly transportation.
Its biggest competitor in the segment is, of course, the Nissan Leaf. But as the Leaf prepares to enter the 2018 model year with all-new bits and bobs (including a 60 kWh battery), Kia would better think long and hard about the limitations of the Soul EV.
For 2018, according to a leaked specs sheet from Kia-World, the Soul EV gets even better. Thanks to a 3 kWh increase in capacity, range is now up to 250 kilometers. In the U.S., that will translate to more than 100 miles, 113 miles tops. In other words, the electrified Soul is hot on the heels of the 107-mile/250-kilometer 2017 model year Nissan Leaf.
The document, which is written in German and addressed to a German dealer, further reveals that the number of cells went up from 192 to 200. There’s also the matter of voltage: 360V versus 375V. As for weight, the bigger battery tips the scales at 290 kilograms compared to the 277-kilo pack in the current model year of the Soul EV. This, in turn, is a pointer that curb weight of the vehicle will also go up from the present-day 1,565 kg.
From a German-spec 230V/10A plug, the 30 kWh battery can be juiced up to 100 percent in circa 20 hours. A 6.6 kilowatt-hour charging point is capable of doing the same in 5.5 to 6 hours. Slated to go official in the latter part of 2017 for 2018, the Soul EV is expected to soldier on as a great value and nicely equipped means of eco-friendly transportation.
Its biggest competitor in the segment is, of course, the Nissan Leaf. But as the Leaf prepares to enter the 2018 model year with all-new bits and bobs (including a 60 kWh battery), Kia would better think long and hard about the limitations of the Soul EV.