Import of used Soul EVs to Jordan

[JejuSoul]

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A friend of mine here in Korea recently sold his 2014 Soul EV to a Jordanian dealer.
Good news for my friend because the used price has gone up substantially since the Jordanians began purchasing.
In fact the used price is similar to what he actually paid for the car four years ago, because the initial subsidy was so high.
It has been in the news here in Korea that this is quite common. (see link at the end of this post)

There's also a few posts on this forum from Jordanians (dealers?) buying used Soul EVs in the United States, so I decided to look further.

There's a site in Jordan with quite a few used Soul EVs - https://jo.opensooq.com/en/search/84415159/automatic-kia-soal-2015



In American dollars the cars seem to be priced in Jordan at around $18,000.
They seem to be buying them both in Korea and the US for about $14,000.
The Soul EV in Korea did not come in 'All white' or 'Titanium' in 2015 so these must be US cars.
I assume all European used EVs go to Norway because the prices are higher there.



I also checked the annual temperatures in Jordan. I had assumed it was really hot. But this doesn't look as hot as Arizona.
I hope the new owners in Jordan know they will have to keep these cars cool, because I doubt the battery warranty will transfer to a country where Kia doesn't sell the car. If anyone reading this is an owner from Jordan, could you explain what warranty you were offered.



It seems the Jordanian Government is promoting Electric Vehicles with zero import taxes, no registration fees, and the building of substantial charging infrastructure. - Jordan driving into the future with electric cars

An article in the Korean news about these sales - Link to Korean Electronic Times Newspaper
The journalist seems to be upset that the large government subsidy towards EV purchases in Korea was intended to promote Clean Air in Korea. Having these EVs being sold abroad defeats the purpose. I don't agree. As long as the cars are used I don't care where in the world they are. To me it is much the same as all the German EVs going to Norway. The difference of course is that Norway is the best place in the world for longevity of a Lithium Ion battery. Jordan is probably not. Time will tell.

 

[Omar]

Hello

Actually it is totally true. This car is becoming famous quickly in Jordan these days. All of the imported cars are from USA, made in Korea.
I bought a soul 2015 EV+ before 45 days.

Their price here is higher because of the shipping cost. Also the government adds 1300 $ as registration and import fees. So it is not totally zero taxes. But compared to Hybrid cars, where you have to pay around 6,000 $ for a car with the same value, the taxes and fees are far lower. While for gas cars, you can expect 13,000 $ as taxes and import fees.

But I can tell that the weather here is optimal for this car. I can see that the range I experience is higher than the one reported by the users in USA. On average I can travel 180 - 200 km (110 - 125 miles) in one charge. I guess weather and the topography of my city are the main reasons to get such a range.

I drove it in one day for 157 km (98 miles), and still had 40 km (25 Miles) range. However, the car screen has never shown more than 103 miles when full.

I don't know about the warranty terms, but the dealer tells nothing about that. I called Kia Jordan one time about something, and they did not say it is not under thier warranty. But I never visited them so far.

 

[JejuSoul]

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There are some other threads on this site talking about Soul EVs in Jordan.
Mostly these talk about battery problems and DIY repair. It seems the Soul EV does really badly in Jordan.



Upgrading high-voltage battery

Options to deal with degraded batteries other than warranty

Battery Ageing Model

And here's some links that go elsewhere

A repair facility in Amman that has 'fixed' Soul EV batteries in the past. - مركز انفيرتر : الألكتروني: Electronic Inverter Center

2015 Soul EV battery issue

 

[MassDeduction]

[...] But I can tell that the weather here is optimal for this car. I can see that the range I experience is higher than the one reported by the users in USA. On average I can travel 180 - 200 km (110 - 125 miles) in one charge. I guess weather and the topography of my city are the main reasons to get such a range.

I drove it in one day for 157 km (98 miles), and still had 40 km (25 Miles) range. However, the car screen has never shown more than 103 miles when full. [...]

Lithium batteries offer best performance when they're hot, and best longevity when they're cold. Getting unusually good range could be because the battery is performing optimally, but therefore also degrading more quickly. A 2020 or newer Kia Soul EV, with its active thermal battery management, would be preferable. But you'll have to get one from Europe, Asia, or Canada, they're not for sale in the U.S.