Range for Fully Charged(?) 2017 Soul

[maxcalvada]

The "charge" light on my charger went off(only the power light stays on). The 3 blue lights on the dashboard have now gone out.

This means I have a full charge?

If so, my full charge range is 78 miles. The estimated range for a new 2017 Soul is 93 miles. I understand there is a yearly degradation of the battery. Would 78 miles then be about right for a 4 year old EV?

 

[IanL]

It depends where you are - how warm/cold it is. The GOM value will reflect ambient temperatures. Also, the battery will not charge quite as well in cold temperatures. You can get a better idea by looking at the energy information in the display EV mode. You can see the range with and without heating. The without heating is probably the figure to compare with the figure you quoted. My car usually shows between 8 and 10 miles more without heating. If you add 8 to 78, 86 miles doesn't seem too bad.

However, the estimate will vary, depending on the pattern of driving your particular car that the BMS has in memory, so this is not a precise science. The best assessment of the battery condition is the SOH, about which much has been written on this board.

 

[maxcalvada]

Yes, very cold here right now. Thanks for your help

 

[Douzeper]

I just purchased a 2016, I'm getting 76 mile range, pretty disappointed with that.

I'm wondering, charging it with 13amp household plug, is that ok to use all the time?

 

[notfred]

It helps to say where you are. From "13amp household plug" that sounds like you are in the UK, so that would be 240V and mild temperatures.

That range does sound a bit low for a UK Soul EV. Is this just the reported range or is this the actual range if you try driving close to that distance? I've seen the predicted range by wrong by a lot.

If you have an Android phone it's worth getting a Bluetooth dongle, the recommeded one is from Konnwei http://www.konnwei.com/product/423.html and note that others that look similar may not work. You can then use the Soul Spy app on the Android phone to read out the battery state of health.

 

[IanL]

It is fine to charge all the time from the 13A supply. The downside is that it takes longer, but if you can put up with that, the battery life will be extended, as it prefers a slower charge. I wanted a higher rate of charge, so I fitted a 40A supply and a 32A charger in the garage. However, unless I am really in a hurry, I use the 16A setting anyway.

I agree with Notfred that the 76 mile range does sound a bit low. The cars with 27kWh batteries have an older battery technology, which seems to deteriorate faster than the 30kWh models. My 30kWh model shows 120 in winter and 150 in summer, with a fairly gentle driving pattern. The values are estimates which will vary depending on the pattern of previous usage and ambient temperature.

It could be that your battery is near the 70% SOH mark, below which KIA will replace it. They won't accept the value from the SOUL EV app, but it would give you an idea whether to go to a KIA dealer to ask for a warranty replacement.

 

[Douzeper]

It helps to say where you are. From "13amp household plug" that sounds like you are in the UK, so that would be 240V and mild temperatures.

That range does sound a bit low for a UK Soul EV. Is this just the reported range or is this the actual range if you try driving close to that distance? I've seen the predicted range by wrong by a lot.

If you have an Android phone it's worth getting a Bluetooth dongle, the recommeded one is from Konnwei http://www.konnwei.com/product/423.html and note that others that look similar may not work. You can then use the Soul Spy app on the Android phone to read out the battery state of health.

Hi, Yes UK, thanks for the link. it's the actual range, it drops quite fast.

 

[Douzeper]

It is fine to charge all the time from the 13A supply. The downside is that it takes longer, but if you can put up with that, the battery life will be extended, as it prefers a slower charge. I wanted a higher rate of charge, so I fitted a 40A supply and a 32A charger in the garage. However, unless I am really in a hurry, I use the 16A setting anyway.

I agree with Notfred that the 76 mile range does sound a bit low. The cars with 27kWh batteries have an older battery technology, which seems to deteriorate faster than the 30kWh models. My 30kWh model shows 120 in winter and 150 in summer, with a fairly gentle driving pattern. The values are estimates which will vary depending on the pattern of previous usage and ambient temperature.

It could be that your battery is near the 70% SOH mark, below which KIA will replace it. They won't accept the value from the SOUL EV app, but it would give you an idea whether to go to a KIA dealer to ask for a warranty replacement.

Thanks, Ive ordered the Konwei to find out. Good to know I'm doing no harm with the 13amp (UK) charge all the time, it's plenty fast enough for what I need it for, quick short trips several times a day and put it on charge in between.

Hope this is the right one: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32842035390.html

 

[JejuSoul]

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I recommend the Konnwei KW902. I have had two of these for 5 years now. They work.
I have no idea about the Konnwei KW910. If it works please add it to the thread here.
recommended obd2 adapter

 

[GreatWhiteNorth]

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I recommend the Konnwei KW902. I have had two of these for 5 years now. They work.
I have no idea about the Konnwei KW910. If it works please add it to the thread here.
recommended obd2 adapter

Hello,
I have ordered a Konnwei KW902 direct from the company in China. However like a dumb ass I purchased a wifi instead of Bluetooth. Will this adaptor work with Soul Spy?

 

[IanL]

... I purchased a wifi instead of Bluetooth. Will this adaptor work with Soul Spy?

Soul Spy only supports Bluetooth.

 

[RX8]

I purchased a certified 2017 Soul EV with 7,700 miles in January. In Colorado, winter range was about 93 and charging last night I had 117 miles, which exceeded my expectations. I am relatively new to the Soul EV so I have no comparisons but I seem to always gain mileage on the range as I drive. On my last full charge (117 expected range), after driving about 70 miles my remaining calculated range amounted to about 122 total range. Do others have this same experience?

 

[IanL]

One possible explanation is that the GOM estimate is based on previously achieved mileages, which will be low if they are generated in colder weather. Now that it is warmer, they will be improved, but the GOM algorithm may still retain some bias from the winter memory, which will slowly be overcome as the older values fall out of the stack. Come the winter, you should see a slow reduction of GOM value, as the summer values drop out, and you may actually experience worse performance than the GOM predicts. The effect would be more marked if the change of seasonal temperature is more abrupt.

A possible reason that I haven't noticed it happening is that the seasonal temperature variation here is MUCH less than in Colorado. Well, it's a theory

 

[EVDee]

They should have reset your BMS after they installed the new battery but either didn't because following instructions is hard :roll: , or because they ran out of time - as was the excuse from my dealer when they changed my battery out. It'll update once you've discharged and charged the battery in a certain way (100% to >18% back to 100% without interruption) and it recalibrates with the new data provided from the battery.

 

[Dory2]

I also have a 2017. I live in Phoenix and left for a month and came back to a range of 58 miles on a full charge. The dealership tested the SOH at 86%. With the AC on (a MUST here) and going on the freeway, I'll be lucky if I can drive 25 miles before needing to charge for another 14 hours. If this is how it's going to be, I'll have to get rid of the car. I bought it 9 months ago, so this was my first summer. Any advice?

 

[JejuSoul]

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A 2017 Soul EV doesn't last long in Phoenix.
Here's a previous post from June 2018 :- Re: Arizona SOUL EV Heat testing

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Good luck with your new car. This thread suggests the battery will need replacing within a few years.
As long as your commute is possible with a 70% degraded battery, then you will be fine for the years that the warranty lasts.
Kia will replace the battery with a new one each time you get down to 70%

 

[gogogut]

I also have a 2017. I live in Phoenix and left for a month and came back to a range of 58 miles on a full charge. The dealership tested the SOH at 86%. With the AC on (a MUST here) and going on the freeway, I'll be lucky if I can drive 25 miles before needing to charge for another 14 hours. If this is how it's going to be, I'll have to get rid of the car. I bought it 9 months ago, so this was my first summer. Any advice?

Would love to hear more about your situation. I am considering buying a used 2017 in Tucson but am afraid of the battery issues, especially since buying from a non-Kia dealership who knows nothing about the car. Less than 20k miles and still under warranty, so wondering if it is worth the risk.

 

[SoulMan]

EVs have better range in warm/hot conditions vs. winter.

No so much due to accessory use... When outside temperature falls near or below freezing, heaters come on to keep the batteries warm - and the batteries just don't work as well. Range can drop up to 50%.

Charged up my 64kW Soul today and it's 60F (15C) - battery shows 308 mi. range (496km). Around 40F (5C) it would show about 25% less.

 

[hjonson]

"76 sounds low..." - lucky you! Bought my 2017 Kia+ in April 2021, with 47Km on it, it's full range was 68 miles.
Don't misunderstand, I knew what I was buying, a 2nd car to run around town, and wanted the "EV experience" at a reasonable price.
I'm retired, live in SoCal, with no commute, and a typical daily outing is 20m, with 40m max, so I'm totally good with it.
LOVE the car, how it drives, leather seats, sound system, ...

But now on 9/1, at just about 1K miles later, it's down to 57m at 100% charge, via home charger 95% of the time (55m w/ AC on).
'Spy says SOH is 71.5%. Can that be right, since 57/93 => 61% ?
I do "top off" daily, since usually < 35m left on a typical day end, to ensure next days usage is covered.
Did that practice exacerbate the capacity loss?
At this point guess I should keep it up, to get under 70% as quick as possible, then "request" my new battery from the dealer.

 

[MassDeduction]

"76 sounds low..." - lucky you! Bought my 2017 Kia+ in April 2021, with 47Km on it, it's full range was 68 miles.[...]

47Km or 47k km? If 47Km, then that's... not a lot of mileage!