MY2020 Soul EV. 64kWh.

[jim3cantos]

...
Fully Charged has a brief look at the new Soul EV at the LA Motor Show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhuFNKQpWes

Fully Charged guy says about a version with 40 kWh battery coming to Europe. Anyone can confirm that?

 

[nibularr]

i like that blue over the lime green from first look videos. i did not like the white with red top either.
i am liking the new front end but not sold on the wrap around taillights yet.

we lost our ev incentives here in Ontario so i believe this along with the kona ev/niro ev will be too expensive for most compared to gas versions. i had a friend completely sold on getting an EV but now that rebate is gone no longer considered an option.

 

[user 284]

Odd that the colors are so muted. No wild colors (other than the Orange, which looks more like Red on my monitor). And the two-tone colors should be complementary -- so the top color pops -- rather very close to each other in the color wheel -- a black roof on a dark blue car doesn't wow me, and neither does a white roof on a gold (beige?) car.

Plus, having only 2000 for sale in S. Korea doesn't bode well for the numbers that might be available in the USA. How many will the USA get? With Kia/Hyundai promising a bunch of new EVs for 2019 in the USA with the 64KWh battery - Soul EV, Niro EV, Kona EV, Ioniq EV (not yet announced what battery it might get) - I wonder which of these will hit US dealerships first, and in any quantity.

 

[JejuSoul]

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The new Soul EV - called Soul EV Booster went on display here in Korea today.

It has a Heads-Up-Display (HUD) just like the Hyundai K ona EV. The interior is a lighter grey than the very dark N iro EV. I much prefer the grey. But it looks like a cheaper plastic interior than our current cars.



Long look at the interior and screens here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-9cE7NuzUY

The new Soul EV also went on display in Montreal. Official range for the 64kWh battery 385km.

 

[Kish]

I like that new widescreen infotainment screen, it seems high resolution and very crisp. The graphics seem to have more contrast than the screens in Kona/Niro EV. Also like the new LED display for climate control settings. Cooled seats and heated rear seats confirmed! There's a huge cavity in the "engine" bay where the heat pump used to be, I wonder if they removed it or just relocated it.

 

[JejuSoul]

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Seems like the rumour we had a year ago is true - 'Kia to offer Soul in Europe as electric car only'
New Soul EV to debut in Geneva - Kia Press Release : - All-electric Kia e-Soul to make European debut

 

[jim3cantos]

...and two battery sizes and UVO app confirmed for Europe too.

Do you have an estimated delivery date for yours?

 

[KeiJidosha]

I have not been able to find cargo capacity for the 2020 Soul EV. Car and Driver just published a road test for the ICE version and cargo volume is 62 cubic feet with the rear seats down. That is huge! Audi e-tron is more than two feet longer and only 57 CuFt. Will that cargo volume carry over undiminished to the 2020 Soul EV as it did for the Kia Niro EV and Hyundai Kona Electric? Kia site still shows these values "To Be Determined".

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a26470868/2020-kia-soul-first-drive/

 

[JejuSoul]

...Do you have an estimated delivery date for yours?

No. Not yet. I am still on the list, and am interested in the details, but am unlikely to purchase.
The final cost for a Noblesse trim 64kWh Soul EV is about 43,000 USD. I would get about 13,000 USD subsidy.
This is about double what I paid for my existing 27kWh Soul EV.
More importantly the final price is likely to be more than a brand new T esla M odel 3 SR.
Kia is fully aware that they have priced the car too high.
The Kia dealer phoned us a few days ago to say that many people are 'unhappy' with the price and that Kia was now offering a special discount on a hybrid N iro to those on the waiting list.
Presumably this is also the reason they are expecting to sell so few of these cars here in Korea this year.
I ended up buying an old Hyundai BlueOn while I am waiting for a better car to come along. It cost less than one of Samsung's new mobile phones!

 

[jim3cantos]

...Do you have an estimated delivery date for yours?

No. Not yet. I am still on the list, and am interested in the details, but am unlikely to purchase.
The final cost for a Noblesse trim 64kWh Soul EV is about 43,000 USD. I would get about 13,000 USD subsidy.
This is about double what I paid for my existing 27kWh Soul EV.
More importantly the final price is likely to be more than a brand new T esla M odel 3 SR.
Kia is fully aware that they have priced the car too high.
The Kia dealer phoned us a few days ago to say that many people are 'unhappy' with the price and that Kia was now offering a special discount on a hybrid N iro to those on the waiting list.
Presumably this is also the reason they are expecting to sell so few of these cars here in Korea this year.
I ended up buying an old Hyundai BlueOn while I am waiting for a better car to come along. It cost less than one of Samsung's new mobile phones!

First time heard of the Hyundai BlueOn. I get it didn't sell outside of Korea from what I can read in the Wikipedia.

New Soul EV is cheaper or more expensive than e-niro in Korea (assuming similar trims)? Just to guess what to expect in other countries...

 

[JejuSoul]

First time heard of the Hyundai BlueOn. I get it didn't sell outside of Korea from what I can read in the Wikipedia.

There's only about 130 of them. I have number 64. It's a 2011. Has done 78,000km.

New Soul EV is cheaper or more expensive than e-n iro in Korea (assuming similar trims)? Just to guess what to expect in other countries...

New Soul EV is cheaper than N iro EV by about 1,000 USD. We don't get the 'e-' prefix here.

 

[jim3cantos]

New Soul EV is cheaper or more expensive than e-n iro in Korea (assuming similar trims)? Just to guess what to expect in other countries...

New Soul EV is cheaper than N iro EV by about 1,000 USD. We don't get the 'e-' prefix here.

Just enough for me if they keep the same price difference in Europe (Spain in my case). Thanks.

 

[JejuSoul]

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A few more colour options in Europe than Korea.
I still like the original Caribbean Blue better than any of these though.

 

[JejuSoul]

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European cars have begun to arrive and prices have been announced.



Here's the German price.



The T esla M odel 3 Standard Range has also been announced in Europe.
Here's the German price.




Here's a quote from Bjorn Nyland for those choosing between the two.
From this Youtube video at 22:14 - https://youtu.be/vzMSKcQgnTA?t=1334

...
Sorry e-N iro Fanboys!
Sorry I oniq Fanboys!
...
The M odel 3 is the best deal!

I agree and I have cancelled my order for a MY2020 Soul EV. I don't expect to bu a M odel 3, but I do expect a significant price reduction on the Kia cars to maintain competitiveness.

 

[JejuSoul]

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TeslaBjorn wears a KiaBjorn T-shirt in this range test of the new 64kWh Soul EV.
Range at 90 km/h, (56 mph) = 430 km, (267 miles). Tested in Norway at 12C.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJe0eF8jb3M

Does he now regret the, "Sorry Kia fanboys", comment from the previous video.


I am no longer so sure about any price reductions on this car. Demand for all EVs remains high and is increasing. Supply for all EVs, including this one, is really low, and will only increase very slowly. Battery factories take many years and billions of dollars to build; if manufacturers had been serious about massively increasing production they would have put the money forward already. It removes any pressure to lower prices.

 

[gday]

I see a big dilemma for all companies other than Tesla. They are still releasing new ICE car models that were conceived many years ago and they have been in the production pipeline for quite a while - they obviously design cars to make a profit over a period of years and it is a slow process - that would be factored into the company profits for many years ahead, so they have to be very careful how they introduce electric cars. They will be shooting themselves in both feet if they move resources to electrics too quickly. Throw in scarcity and fluctuating prices of some materials and we have a weird and frequently changing formula.

The cost of the changes are obviously substantial yet they don't want to miss out on a change that almost looks inevitable at this point. The spreadsheet they use must be very interesting. Making the earlier electrics expensive seems to be working because the demand is so high. I am sure it has all been worked out very carefully.

Add the incentive programs that are around and early adopters are willing to pay the price. I, for one REALLY want to move away from fossil fuels and am willing to pay their price by sacrificing other spending desires - seems I am not alone. Just a thought.

 

[JejuSoul]

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Here's KiaBjorn testing the charging of the new 64kWh Soul EV. Interesting he calls the K ona, N iro and Soul EVs triplets because they all have the same charging curve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFSpEid3jiQ

------------------------------------

...Add the incentive programs that are around and early adopters are willing to pay the price. I, for one REALLY want to move away from fossil fuels and am willing to pay their price by sacrificing other spending desires - seems I am not alone. Just a thought...

The advantages for the first buyer of an EV are many. 1/ subsidies 2/ high resale price 3/ full warranty. The second buyer should beware, because once the warranty ends the price will drop hard.

The new soul EV is going to be quite rare (outside Norway). If you can get your hands on one, great. I hope you enjoy your new car.

 

[jim3cantos]

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The new soul EV is going to be quite rare (outside Norway). If you can get your hands on one, great. I hope you enjoy your new car.

I hope to get the one that is coming to Spain!

 

[jim3cantos]

-
European cars have begun to arrive and prices have been announced.



Here's the German price.



The T esla M odel 3 Standard Range has also been announced in Europe.
Here's the German price.




Here's a quote from Bjorn Nyland for those choosing between the two.
From this Youtube video at 22:14 - https://youtu.be/vzMSKcQgnTA?t=1334

...
Sorry e-N iro Fanboys!
Sorry I oniq Fanboys!
...
The M odel 3 is the best deal!

I agree and I have cancelled my order for a MY2020 Soul EV. I don't expect to bu a M odel 3, but I do expect a significant price reduction on the Kia cars to maintain competitiveness.

Kia advertised prices doesn't include discounts at least in Spain. Here, Model 3 SR+ is priced at 48200€ and you can easily get the e-niro 64 kWh for 36000€ and a fully loaded one for 40000€ and both are eligible for a 5500€ government bonus (Tesla doesn't want to include the SR+ in the database in order to be eligible). I expect the e-soul to be at least 1000€ less expensive than the e-niro.

And another thing is range. I was thinking that the "triplets" and Model 3 SR+ would have more or less the same range but it doesn't seem to be the case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynX21N4H8H0

 

[JejuSoul]

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In the final review of the new eSoul TeslaBjorn has taken off the KiaBjorn shirt and reverts back to his normal self.
He again states his preference for the standard range M odel 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZui4kDxgAU



Note: I would far rather own a Soul EV than a T esla because where I live the Soul EV will be far cheaper to service and maintain. My complaint is that Kia has priced it so high. But that is now the norm. All the decent EVs are now overpriced. I regret not buying an I oniq Electric a couple of years ago. In retrospect it was the best value EV we have seen.