Replacing the single cells in the battery pack?

[JejuSoul]

Cooling plate is the wrong term. There is no active cooling in our car. I would call them plastic trays.

Also for the true DIY enthusiast there is no size limit because you can build your own, or as shown here modify the existing tray to fit a longer cell.



My opinion is that this kind of extreme DIY will never become common.
The sensible solution is replace the complete 27kWh pack with a complete 30kWh pack.

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A reality check using actual numbers in one specific country.
Using data from How Many Left there are about 400 27kWh Soul EVs in the UK and 500 30kWh.
About 1% of the 30kWh models are being written off each year after crashing.
My guess is that about 50 of the 27kWh Soul EVs will need a replacement battery pack each year for the next 8 years, but there are only 5 packs available each year.
At best 10% of the old cars will get a used Soul EV replacement battery pack. More likely 1%.

Hence there is a strong need for an alternative method.

 

[JejuSoul]

...
a) replace the complete 27kWh pack with 30kWh pack (for which you need to wait in a long queue, because there is a limited supply of these packs in the used parts market & the brand new does not worth it to buy at Kia dealerships. --> Result: 8 years happiness with 210km range.
...
b) replace all the modules (we have 8 modules in our Souls) with used parts: "so-called" compatible cells, but replacing the complete modules (newer technology from a newer Hyundai Kona/Ioniq, Kia eNiro, or even from other brands, what so ever is newer in age and in tech & their modules can physically fit into the same place of the old cells) keeping the old battery house, & old BMS, but using the new module frames. --> Result: 2-5 years happiness with 250-290km range (comes with 2 years warranty).
...
c) replace the complete 27kWh pack cell-by-cell in the original module with brand new cells which more-or-less match the size of the original cells, even from another brand (not SKI, but Samsung or Panasonic or LG, ... whatever fits in & compatible with its technical parameters) --> Result: 8 years happiness with 210-290km range.
...

My favorite choice here is option a).
This is a 'cheap', 'simple', 'plug and play' solution.
Problem is there aren't enough used 30kWh packs from salvage yards to match demand.

I do not currently have much confidence in option b)
Anecdotal evidence from Jordan / Ukraine is that these fixes lack long-term reliability.
The one exception to this seems to be the DIY repair video from Ukraine where they actually build their own BMS to get the new cells properly balanced. Although that is mix and match not an entirely new pack.

Option c) may well work but is probably more expensive than buying a used EV with better stats.

What I would really like to see is an open-source BMS for the Soul EV with options to ensure that other brand cells can be properly used. This is something that is being developed for the Nissan Leaf.

 

[Oddsi]

Congratulations on your DIY...I also wanted to evaluate the replacement of 3 cells of my battery (1,2,96) 27Kwh therefore E375.
I have not found anything used around (only a 14x pack from Canada, but they do not ship outside).
I wanted to evaluate the Alibaba cells, but I would need the precise measurements of the individual original packs (NCM 3.7V 37.5Ah).
@kojairvs did you by chance take them?Will the Alibaba ones be good as a formulation?
The discharge values seem plausible to me, while the charge data are limiting (I would still evaluate the 40Ah single cell as they are more common and less used in combination with the worn out originals).
If anyone has news of used battery packs for Soul EV in Europe both E375 and E400, I would be happy to know.

Hi, a lot of batterypacks for sale in Norway, on " Finndel". Probably single cells too. If you phone the wreckyard...

 

[Nigel]

copart.com in the USA have 14 damaged Kia Soul EV's coming up for auction but you'd have to export back to Europe.

 

[JejuSoul]

Hi, a lot of batterypacks for sale in Norway, on " Finndel". Probably single cells too. If you phone the wreckyard...

Thanks for the info.
The link is here :- finndel.no - Norges største database for brukte bildeler
Of the 32 battery packs listed, all but 1 are for the 27kWh cars.
Not surprising because the 2018+ cars are still in warranty.
You would have to be very desperate to buy any of these packs if you wanted them for a car.
Maybe good for home storage though.

copart.com in the USA have 14 damaged Kia Soul EV's coming up for auction but you'd have to export back to Europe.

Thanks for the info.
I only see 12 now.
Of these only 1 is a possibility, "Henry".

 

[Perez]

… El BMS de 30 kW probablemente debería tener 4 conexiones de medición de voltaje más, una de cada módulo de 10 celdas (ahora 11 celdas). Probablemente por eso suministran cables de arnés nuevos cuando reemplazan la batería de 27 kW con una de 30 kW bajo garantía. Como pude ver durante mi “bricolaje”, siempre había uno o dos pines sin usar en conectores de múltiples pines. Lo que me hizo darme cuenta de que podían mantener el BMS antiguo y simplemente actualizarlo para poder usar/reconocer 100 celdas en lugar de 96. Y para poder acomodar un voltaje general más alto,
Si tiene un BMS original diseñado para 100 celdas, entonces la computadora de a bordo solo usará la información recibida, supongo, y seguirá funcionando. El único problema posible podría ser la actualización del software de la computadora de a bordo si hay problemas de comunicación entre el BMS y la computadora de a bordo.
Buena suerte y mantennos informados…

Reviewing the photographs, it can be seen that the supports of the rear modules in the 30kwh batteries, have 16 cells engraved

 

[Perez]

2. Talking about the Battery Assembly Pack codes. This is shown on the sticker on the outside of the battery box.

E4000 is an original 27kWh battery pack without a heater. Contains 96 E375 cells.
E4050 is an original 27kWh battery pack with a heater. Contains 96 75Ah cells.
E4200 and E4250 are the replacement packs that contain 96 80Ah cells.

E4300 is a 30kWh battery pack without a heater.
E4350 is a 30kWh battery pack with a heater.

In the posts above we hear that E4300 has 96 cells. It should be 100.
In the posts above we see pack E4310. Is this a newer version? What is the difference?
I think the 2018 pack in the picture must have had a replacement battery at some point.

When getting the fire-safety recall done on my 2015, they replaced my original wiring harness with a new one which is for the 2018 - code 37561E4310 WIRING HARNESS

The original 2018 cars do not get this updated wiring harness with their fire-safety recall so I have no idea what the importance ( if any ) of this newer version is.

What do you think of the following reference 37501-E4100?

Does anyone know the meaning of why there are labels that says blue, white or yellow?

 

[JejuSoul]

Does anyone know the meaning of why there are labels that says blue, white or yellow?

I had assumed that was just the paint colour of the car. Because
My white car is E4000 White
My blue car is E4000 Blue

But this does not work for kojairvs cars shown on this thread.

His original white car has the sticker E4050 Yellow
This scrap car is E4300 White