Soul not charging to 100% - 2015, 27kWh, 119.072km

[MrDanMan]

I'm looking to buy a Kia Soul, I saw one with an extremely low price because there is an issue with it. I'm a car mechanic (with papers to work on EVs), so no issue working on cars.

The problem: It won't fully charge (to 100% on the display) and gets maximum 40km of range. I've already done some investigating to see if I can find something like a similar issue and the solution for it.
Does anyone know this issue?
I'd like to learn more and resolve this issue and drive the Soul around

 

[MarkCapeCod]

It sounds like the on board charger to me. If it DC fast charges to at least 84%, then it's the OBC for sure.

 

[MrDanMan]

It sounds like the on board charger to me. If it DC fast charges to at least 84%, then it's the OBC for sure.

That's what I'm thinking, too. I'd have to take a look at the car and try a DC charger to see if the battery charges more that 40km of range. If that's the case, I'm willing to buy and get the OBC fixed.

 

[nileriver]

What % does it show when it stops charging? Some have mentioned that there is a way to program it to make it stop at a certain time, or maybe at a certain percentage, but I know nothing about that. I’m curious what the percentage it charges to when the range estimator says that you have 40 miles of range. Regardless of any of that, it would not be surprising to me if a 2015 model’s battery had degraded enough by now that 40 miles of range on even a 100% charge would not be unrealistic. Especially if the life of the car involved a lot of DC rapid charging, and/or any other practices that are known to be hard on the battery. My 2016 with 57,000 miles will show a max of 65 miles range at 100% charge. I bought it used, so I don’t know how the battery was treated prior. From what I have been reading, it appears that the 27 kWh batteries in the older models are poor performers compared to the newer 30 kWh ones. I guess I am mainly trying to say that you may not get much more range out of that battery even if you fix any other problems.

 

[MarkCapeCod]

For sure be certain that any timed charging settings are removed or disabled. Also I think the OP said 40km. Even a badly degraded battery shouldn't go that low.

 

[JejuSoul]

In most European countries the battery warranty has a 7 year, 150,000km limit to 70% SOH.
This car is out of warranty, and may well have a bad battery.

In almost all circumstances I would suggest not buying this car.
Exceptions would be enthusiasts who want a badly degraded car to analyze, or mechanics who can replace the battery pack themselves.
Most of these cars seem to end up in Eastern Europe with DIY battery replacements.