http://canton.wickedlocal.com/article/20150219/NEWS/150216080 Ride & Drive: 2015 Kia Soul EV By Neal White Feb. 19, 2015
[image http://canton.wickedlocal.com/storyimage/WL/20150219/NEWS/150216080/AR/0/AR-150216080.jpg 2015 Soul EV ] Kia just keeps delivering hit after hit. The fastest growing car company in the world recently rolled out its first electric vehicle, the 2015 Kia Soul EV, and in the process, has delivered one of the best electric-only vehicles on the market. OK, before sending an email, I agree Tesla has the best EV on the market. The base Tesla S has twice the range and more performance. The base Tesla S also has an MSRP that begins at a price point more than double that of the fully loaded Kia Soul EV, which by the way is sold and supported by Kia dealerships nationwide. (You can only purchase a Tesla from its factory in California). That said, for EV’s priced below $40,000, the five-passenger, front-wheel drive Kia Soul EV leads the segment in range (109 miles on a full charge), Miles Per Gallon Equivalency (92 highway/120 city/105 combined), as well as interior room (18.8 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seat). Based on Kia’s popular urban crossover, the Soul EV has a top speed of 90 mph and includes two types of charging ports allowing owners multiple options for recharging. You can plug it into a regular 110-volt outlet in the garage (like I did during my one-week evaluation) and recharge the battery overnight. It also has a fast charging port that allows for an 80 percent charge in 33 minutes. Being based in Texas, when EVs come up in conversation, I’m frequently being asked, “Why in the world would I want an electric vehicle when you can only go so far without having to stop and plug it in?” EVs aren’t for everyone. But for consumers who do all or most of their driving in urban centers — and rarely need to travel more than 100 miles in a day — EVs make a lot of sense. They produce zero emissions and you don’t have to worry about fluctuating gas prices. All you have to do is plug it in at home, the office or urban recharging stations. While you are still paying for electricity, the MPGe still produces a substantial savings over what you would pay in fuel for a gasoline-powered vehicle. [© wickedlocal.com] http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150223000571 Kia's Soul EV becomes best-selling electric car in S. Korea last year 2015-02-23 Kia Motors Corp.'s Soul electric vehicle was the most widely sold model among battery-powered cars in South Korea last year, data showed Monday, with two other local autos ranking second and third. A total of 414 units of the Soul EV were sold here in 2014, taking up more than a third of the 1,183 electric cars sold in the country over the one-year period, according to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. Industry watchers said the popularity of the Soul EV is due largely to the 148-kilometer distance Kia Motors claims the car can travel on a single charge, allowing for longer trips compared with some of the other models sold here. In addition, the vehicle has a 10-year warranty, a market first for battery-powered cars. The top three best-selling electric vehicles in South Korea were all locally manufactured models, as the SM3 ZE by Renault Samsung Motors Co. claimed the No. 2 spot with 309 units, followed by Kia Motors' mini subcompact Ray EV at 202 units, the KAMA data showed. German carmaker BMW's five-door urban electric car i3 trailed the list with 170 units sold here last year, while GM Korea's Spark EV and Nissan's Leaf hatchback stood at fifth and sixth place after selling 70 units and 16 units, respectively, according to the data. The South Korean electric car market has been rapidly expanding over the past few years, as last year's sales figure marked a 65.5 percent increase from the 715 units sold in 2013. (Yonhap) [© koreaherald.com] http://www.themotorreport.com.au/60939/kia-australia-waiting-on-government-policy-before-introducing-evs Kia Australia Waiting On Government Policy Before Pushing EVs, Hybrids Trevor Collett | Feb 23, 2015 [images http://www.themotorreport.com.au/content/image/2/0/2014_kia_soul_ev_11-0223-mc:539x476.jpg Kia Soul EV http://www.themotorreport.com.au/content/image/2/0/2014_kia_soul_ev_15-0210-mc:539x476.jpg http://www.themotorreport.com.au/gallery/5819/2014-kia-soul-ev-overseas?from=60939 Gallery: 2014 Kia Soul EV - Overseas ] Kia is holding back on building a case for hybrid and electric vehicles in Australia until government gets on board, the brand's local product boss Jeff Shafer told TMR this week. With the exception of the now-defunct Green Car Innovation Fund, state and federal governments have been slow to follow other regions into introducing policies that encourage the introduction and purchase of electric vehicles. There are currently no significant financial incentives for buyers to purchase a hybrid or all-electric vehicle, and there are no known plans for policies that would encourage the development of any meaningful charging infrastructure. Kia Australia’s Senior Product Manager, Jeff Shafer, said a lack of government direction was making it hard to justify electric models for the brand's local range. “For better or worse, Australia doesn’t have a strong government position on alternative-fuel vehicles,” Mr Shafer said. “There’s no picking and choosing by governments to say ‘we're going to support hybrid’ or 'we're going to support any one particular technology', so I guess that makes the job we’ve got as planners a little more difficult.” Mr Shafer said a shift to electric-assisted or all-electric vehicles would likely be gradual, and that the war on world oil prices would be slowing the adoption of new 'green' technologies. However, a sudden rise in fuel prices could kick-start buyer interest in EVs and hybrids and while Kia isn’t currently focussed on such models, the carmaker is ready to move quickly if necessary. “Within Kia we have a lot of great technology that we can draw upon at the right time, including the Soul EV or the Optima hybrid which is sold in the US, and I think it’s a case of making sure the market is ready for it,” Mr Shafer said. Mr Shafer said that while a number of brands are now offering hybrids and EVs in Australia, "I haven't seen a strong demand just yet." "That’s going to change I think over time, and we want to be ready when it does. But I’m not sure that we want to put a vehicle to market that ends up being a marketing exercise and not a real sales opportunity, so we’ll keep looking at how the market develops.” The key for Kia in introducing hybrids and EVs in Australia, Shafer said, will be "to do it in a way that the customer sees the clear benefit for the premium that they might be asked to pay for a battery-powered vehicle.” Kia recently teased a new concept based on the Soul EV for the Chicago Auto Show called the Trail’ster, which features all-wheel-drive and may point to a future direction for Kia’s EV offerings; or a new model. [© themotorreport.com.au] http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2015/02/388_173957.html Kia Soul tops domestic EV sales 2015-02-23 By Park Jin-hai Kia Motors' Soul became the best selling electric vehicle (EV) in Korea last year. http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20150223/NEWS/150229910/-1/sports Silvio Calabi: Kia Soul mixes practicality with personality By Silvio Calabi Feb. 23, 2015 [image http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/storyimage/LA/20150223/NEWS/150229910/AR/0/AR-150229910.jpg Redone last year, the 2015 Soul, Kia’s compact urban utility vehicle, looks as fresh as it did when it appeared in ‘09. Frisky colors—this is Solar Yellow—belie the Soul’s practical nature and quality construction. http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/storyimage/LA/20150223/NEWS/150229910/EP/1/1/EP-150229910.jpg This is the Soul Exclaim interior, with leather, GPS navigation, the automatic transmission and other options. Two less-expensive trim levels, Base and Plus, are available, along with special packages such as Red Zone 2.0 Special Edition and Caribbean Blue. ] When Kia’s eye-catching urban shoebox, the Soul, arrived back in 2009, the maker’s slogan was “The Power to Surprise.” Seven years on, no one should be surprised any more by anything Kia does. The company now sells two midsize sedans and a luxury car, four sport-utes and minivans, five compact cars and two hybrid/electrics, at prices from $14,000 to $60,000. Kia and its Korean cousin, Hyundai, are pressuring Japan’s automakers exactly the way those brands did Detroit and Europe, and the Soul is just one way they’re doing it. Soul prices start at $15,000 and change, and top out at about $22,000 (except for the new Soul EV, Electric Vehicle, which is now on sale in California for more than 30 grand). But despite its outlet-store price, there’s nothing cheap about it. At $17,610, our mid-range Soul must be the least-expensive car to come with a heated steering wheel. That’s on top of heated seats and wing mirrors, and a long list of other amenities: pushbutton entry and ignition, adjustable steering, an AM/FM/MP3 stereo with Sirius XM and Bluetooth (and audio controls in the steering wheel — which both tilts and telescopes), a USB plug, cruise control, auto-off headlights, child-seat anchors, tire-pressure monitoring and a new UVO eServices telematics package that links to a smartphone. There’s also an alphabet’s worth of passive safety systems, from ABS and BAS to TCS, VSM, ESC and HAC — Hill-start Assist Control — plus six airbags. (Other available options include leather, a panoramic roof, satnav and a rear-view camera.) Just as surprising is that the interior looks and feels so satisfyingly upscale. The Soul is a prime example of the sort of value-for-money that gave Kia such a leg up during the Great Recession. The Soul’s only weakness, literally, is a lack of power. Plus and Exclaim models come with a small (2.0-liter) 164-horsepower four-cylinder engine tuned for 164 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. The Soul Base has an even smaller (1.6-liter) Four good for just 130 HP and 118 torques. The mid- and top-end Souls get six-speed automatic transmissions; the Base, a six-speed manual gearbox, with the automatic available as an option. All drivetrains deliver about the same 24 to 30 mpg. Since even an optioned-up Soul weighs less than 3,000 pounds, both engines are at least sufficient, if not thrilling. The 1.6-liter in our Soul automatic seemed to be punching above its class, but it didn’t sound or feel strained. It’s still only Valentine’s Day, and up here in the Frozen North we’ve had about 5 feet of snow in February alone. So you can guess what option we’d like to see on the Kia Soul: Yep, all-wheel drive. As a front-wheeler the Soul does pretty well — and would do even better with true snow tires — but a switchable, on-demand 4×4 system, like Nissan puts in its Juke or Jeep in the new Cherokee, would add all-weather soul to the Soul. But then it would be heavier and need more motor, which might demand bigger brakes and different tires, a suspension recalibration, maybe new crash tests and fuel-economy ratings . . . . OK, never mind. But the name: Soul is wrong. There’s nothing melancholy, ethereal or even heavenly about this five-door wagonlet. No, it’s practical and competent, and almost fun. Somehow it catches the eye and the approval of everyone from urban yout’ to rural pickup drivers, along with retirees, soccer moms on a budget and young families. Big inside (for four adults plus groceries) and small outside, the Soul looks positively cheerful. With an SUV-like driving position and a tall, airy cabin, the Soul easily negotiates city congestion, and the slab sides and vertical corners make it especially easy to maneuver and park. On the highway it’s not a long-legged cruiser, but the Soul feels settled at about 70 to 75 mph. Thanks to good seats and tight construction, it’s surprisingly comfortable and quiet, too. This Kia has some of the playful character of a Mini Clubman without the European price, plus the boxy efficiency of the late Scion xB without the silly looks. Hey, maybe it does have soul. Likes - Pleasing to drive - Quality cabin - Small but space-efficient and roomy - Great value Dislikes - 130 HP should deliver 40 mpg [© 2015 Gatehouse Media] http://www.autoevolution.com/news/kia-soul-ev-gets-its-furry-latex-freak-on-in-latest-hamster-commercial-video-92662.html Kia Soul EV Gets its Furry Latex Freak on in Latest Hamster Commercial - Video by Mihnea Radu 25th February 2015 [videos flash images http://www.autoevolution.com/news/kia-soul-ev-gets-its-furry-latex-freak-on-in-latest-hamster-commercial-video-92662.html gallery ] The hamsters were a stroke of genius for Kia's marketing people, who we think are among the most creative in the industry – Adriana Lima, Morpheus, etc. But how can they possibly better themselves? How about girl-hamsters in latex suits, that will get everyone's attention. The latest ad is designed for the 2014 MTV Video Movie Awards and showcases the new Soul electric vehicle, which we've test-driven. This time around, they make a hamster girl by accidentally zapping their pet with a special laser. It's sort of like a scene from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, only with latex, fur and curves. After that, the male hamsters get a bunch more squirrely girlies from the pet store and turn them into their personal army of sexy furries. According to Wikipedia, furry fandom is "a subculture interested in fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics. Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, the ability to speak, walk on two legs, and wear clothes." We'll be damned if that doesn't perfectly describe what we're seeing here. On top of that, Kia had to use a shiny black latex suit and do a group choreographed dance like that? Come on guys, that's just not fair. Suspenders? Check. Hi-tech lasers? Check. Holograms and dancing Hamsters? Double check. Get ready to geek out with the Hamsters as they create Kia’s first electric car—the all-new Soul EV. With all that electricity flowing, there just might be a few surprises along the way… But what about the car? Well, like I said, autoevolution has already tested the Kia Soul EV and found that it was a perfectly reasonable alternative to the Volkswagen e-Golf and Ford Focus Electric. On paper, it sounds slow with a 0 to 60 mph time of 11.2 seconds and a max speed of o 90 mph (145 k/h), but the instantaneous torque delivery compensates for that. The only problem is that it costs almost twice as much as a regular Kia Soul. Saving money on gas? No, but doing your part for the environment is important and the hamster ladies will love you for it. Don't pretend you don't like them! [© autoevolution.com] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html#nabble+template%2FNamlServlet.jtp%3Fmacro%3Dsearch_page%26node%3D413529%26query%3DEVLN%2Bbrucedp2%26days%3D0%26sort%3Ddate http://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/27263 New Paper-like silicon nanofibers Could Boost EV Batteries http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/business/utilities-push-into-fuel-stations-for-electric-cars.html?_r=0 Utilities Push Into Charging-Stations/EVSE for Electric Cars + EVLN: ElectraGirl> With snow I know my EV will be okay –Brrr {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-2015-Kia-Soul-best-selling-EV-Ride-Drive-Furry-Freak-on-tp4673978.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
