2015 Kia Soul EV joins the quickly growing ranks of affordable electric cars. A regular Soul starts at $15,100 and delivers 24 MPG city and 30 MPG highway from a 1.6L gasoline burning four-cylinder.
The 2015 Soul EV does away with fossil fuels in favor of electricity. It starts at $26,200 after $7,500 of federal tax credit (starting MSRP of $33,700). This car prefers around-town driving with Kia estimated city range of 120 miles. It’s rated at 92 miles of range on the highway or 105 miles combined.
It comes with a high throughput 6.6kW DC charger that can allow up to 80% recharge in about 30 minutes at a level 3 charging station. The electric motor that’s powering the front wheels makes 109 horsepower and a healthy 201 lb-ft of torque from 0 rpm. This EV has a maximum curb weight of 3,340 lbs, which is not too bad, but is about 500 pounds heavier than the gasoline powered Soul.
The 2015 Kia Soul EV goes on sale only in California at launch. Some other regions may get the EV at a later date.
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been writing and reporting at TFL since 2011.
