Just picked up Soul EV 2020 Limited in Vancouver

[Laurel1949]

Mactech thanks for the info. on navigation etc. All sounds good. I heard on the grapevine that pre-orders would continue you to be delivered throughout the next few weeks and the big launch is July. I hope we get lumped in with pre-order as we put a deposit down last week but aren't really a pre-order. I am very keen to get ours.

 

[techrider]

I just picked up mine - first KIA! Overall I'm very happy with it and look forward to being a part of the community here. After a week of ownership my thoughts are:

Strengths:

• A comfortable, quiet and fun ride

• Great visibility and lots of headroom, including the 2nd row

• Super bright headlights

Weaknesses:

• I wish KIA didn't delete the parking sensors (they're described in the manual but not included in the Limited trim or as an option)

• No Homelink garage opener included or as an option

• Tires appear to be designed for low rolling resistance over traction

• UVO app needs work - too slow to send a command, and the user interface needs improving. It should show you the status and allow a tap or swipe to then make a change

• I found out that UVO maps and software updates are expensive - they should be included unless you want the dealer to install or for KIA to send you the update on a USB stick in the mail

For the first two, I think KIA wanted its MSRP to qualify for maximum rebates and made choices on what to delete.

Questions:

• How do I know when to turn off Winter Mode? I don't want to use the mode any more than needed, and the manual doesn't specify when to turn it off, only... "The Winter mode is efficient during the winter time when the high voltage battery temperature is low." ... but
  I don't see a way to check if the battery temperature is low (or what low means)

• The manual also states ... "If the (12 V Aux. Battery Saver+) function is not needed, you many turn it off ..." but doesn't explain how to know if you need it or not. Anyone else figure out when to enable/disable this?

• May be related to above, or not... When I turn off the vehicle and leave the audio system on, I get multiple alerts at the top of the touchscreen that say (at random times) "Battery Discharge Warning. Please use the system after starting the vehicle.". This is no where in the manual. By system, is it referring to the audio system or some other system?

• Has anyone found the UVO & sound system manual online? It's nice to keep a copy on your tablet.

 

[mactech]

Congratulations on your new KIA Soul EV techrider!

I've been driving mine since May 2019 and love it. In Vancouver climate I have not seen battery heater kicked in even once - it would show in the energy consumption screen. Maybe it's not cold enough? Or maybe because car lives in the heated garage? IMHO the "Winter Mode" only use battery heater when needed, so no harm in having it enabled when it's warmer outside.

"When a dedicated 2 kW battery heater is available (as in the Canadian version), it is used primarily at sub-zero temperatures (0C or 32F) or when the driver enables an optional “Winter Mode”. The battery heater, if present, is located outside the battery pack and warms the liquid “coolant” just before it enters into the pack.
The winter mode uses extra energy to warm the battery pack to allow for full regenerative braking and quicker fast DC charging. Colder pack temperatures force the battery management system to restrict the amount of power that can recharge the battery in order to avoid damaging the carbon graphite anode. This is an issue common to most lithium ion batteries. Cold temperatures are not much of an issue for power coming out of the battery except under rare and extreme conditions like down near -40 degrees."

More info here: https://electricrevs.com/2018/12/20...undais-new-battery-thermal-management-design/

12 V Aux. Battery Saver+ feature won't do any harm either. I have it enabled.

"Battery Discharge Warning" alerts are normal. When car is started, main battery recharges 12V battery, but when ignition is off 12V battery powers all the electronics and loosing charge. If you want to use Audio or heater with ignition turned off - use Utility mode.

 

[techrider]

Congratulations on your new KIA Soul EV techrider!.

Thanks for the answers and info!

 

[dgpretzel]

This is the second thread on the forum I have seen that indicates the 2020 Soul EV is available in Canada.

So, it appears that the halt by Kia of sales of the 2020 Soul EV apply only to the USA, and not North America, in general.

Is that correct, or do I just have erroneous information about the lack of availability in the US?

Thank you.

DG

 

[mactech]

That's true DG,
Unfortunately due to constrained battery supply, Kia pushed USA availability for SoulEV to 2021.
This car has been available in Canada since the end of April 2019 and mostly has been sold in Europe and Korea.
It's a shame, because SoulEV is a really nice car. They could sell so much more of them...

 

[techrider]

After I picked up my 2020 Soul EV, I was a little surprised and confused when I first came to this forum, then visited the US Kia website, to discover that my car is being described as a future 2021 model for US customers. They're up here in Canada and include the 120V trickle charter, Winter mode (battery heater), and the Heat Pump cabin heater, but they don't come equipped with parking sensors or Homelink (not even as options).

 

[zacmobile]

And don’t forget the lack of roof rails that all other territories seem to have. (Even in the manual it’s shown as having rails) regardless, we love ours so far. Just picked up 2 weeks ago from West Coast Kia in Pitt Meadows.

 

[techrider]

I just picked up mine - first KIA! Overall I'm very happy with it and look forward to being a part of the community here.

Still loving the vehicle, and here's a quick follow up, related to the vehicle's range.

I've had the car for 5 weeks, and where I live it's mild winter conditions. That means the seat heaters, steering wheel heater, and cabin heater are typically used while I'm driving. I also have the Winter Mode (battery heater) enabled. Based on the driving style feedback provided by the car, I drive 'economically' no less than 85% of the time, 'aggressively' no more than 2% of the time, and 'normal' no more than 13% of the time.

With that in mind, I'm averaging 5 km (3.1 mile) of range per 1 kWh. As the Soul EV Limited is equipped with a 64 kWh battery, that's 320 km (199 miles) from 100% charge to 0% charge. I'm following the manual's recommendation of charging to a maximum 80% SOC, for my day to day use, and based on research I'm not letting the battery get to below 20% SOC before I re-charge it.

That means I'm typically utilizing 60% of the battery's capacity (20%-80% SOC), and that works out to 192 km (119 miles) of usable range per charge. If I were to do a road trip today, and therefore charged it to 100% SOC just before departing, and still recharged at no less than 20% SOC, I expect I would get about 256 km (159 miles) of range between charges. That's roughly equivalent to a one-way trip from Vancouver BC to Seattle WA.

I look forward to seeing how much more range I get from a charge as the weather shifts to summer temperatures.

 

[techrider]

And don’t forget the lack of roof rails that all other territories seem to have. (Even in the manual it’s shown as having rails) regardless, we love ours so far. Just picked up 2 weeks ago from West Coast Kia in Pitt Meadows.

Right! I think Thule will still have a workable solution, but rails would've been nice.

 

[skipsteel]

Congratulations on your new KIA Soul EV techrider!

I've been driving mine since May 2019 and love it. In Vancouver climate I have not seen battery heater kicked in even once - it would show in the energy consumption screen. Maybe it's not cold enough? Or maybe because car lives in the heated garage? IMHO the "Winter Mode" only use battery heater when needed, so no harm in having it enabled when it's warmer outside.

"When a dedicated 2 kW battery heater is available (as in the Canadian version), it is used primarily at sub-zero temperatures (0C or 32F) or when the driver enables an optional “Winter Mode”. The battery heater, if present, is located outside the battery pack and warms the liquid “coolant” just before it enters into the pack.
The winter mode uses extra energy to warm the battery pack to allow for full regenerative braking and quicker fast DC charging. Colder pack temperatures force the battery management system to restrict the amount of power that can recharge the battery in order to avoid damaging the carbon graphite anode. This is an issue common to most lithium ion batteries. Cold temperatures are not much of an issue for power coming out of the battery except under rare and extreme conditions like down near -40 degrees."

More info here: https://electricrevs.com/2018/12/20...undais-new-battery-thermal-management-design/

12 V Aux. Battery Saver+ feature won't do any harm either. I have it enabled.

"Battery Discharge Warning" alerts are normal. When car is started, main battery recharges 12V battery, but when ignition is off 12V battery powers all the electronics and loosing charge. If you want to use Audio or heater with ignition turned off - use Utility mode.

Hi I just wanted to point out that the Kona Traction Battery system is LG Chem, and the The 2020 KIA Soul EV Traction Battery system is made by SK Innovations there might be some differences, as KIA Canada Told me this was proprietary information, Currently there is an ongoing Lawsuits between LG CHem and SK Innovations. Have a read.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sk-innovation-lg-chem-lawsuit/u-s-panels-interim-ruling-favors-lg-chem-in-trade-secrets-case-with-sk-idUSKBN20A04C

 

[techrider]

... I'm averaging 5 km (3.1 mile) of range per 1 kWh.
...
I look forward to seeing how much more range I get from a charge as the weather shifts to summer temperatures.

As of August I'm achieving 6 km (3.7 mile) of range per 1 kWh, so I expect to average 5.5 km (3.4 mile) of range per 1 kWh over each year.