The most frequent question I get of late is: “Have you driven a Tesla?”
What the electric vehicle-curious should really be asking me is: “Have you driven a Kia Soul EV?”
Because if you can’t afford the pricey Tesla Model S, this funky little Kia is an electric car you should be looking at.
Sure, it won’t go as far as the Tesla, but with about 150 km of range, the well-equipped $34,995 Kia Soul EV can go further than the Nissan Leaf and the Ford Focus Electric, plus it will provide a thoroughly comfortable and functional drive while doing so.
Ontario residents still enjoy an $8,500 rebate on electric vehicles, so that brings the price within striking distance for those in the market for an economical commuter car.
I spent a week in the Soul EV, commuting from Oakville to downtown Toronto. The 100 km round trip was well within the Kia’s range. It was a thoroughly pleasant experience – not least because I could jump into the HOV lanes willy-nilly. It’s a comfortable, roomy vehicle with a smooth ride, competent handling and fine visibility.
Electric motoring is essentially silent and super smooth – no vibration and no gears to interrupt the steady flow of power. You won’t win any drag races with the Soul EV. But with 100 per cent of its 210 lb-ft of torque available from the moment you put your foot on the pedal, the Soul zips through intersections and around city obstacles with surprising verve.
It’s only at highway speeds that the acceleration tapers off. That would be the modest 109 hp motor announcing its presence. To help with recapturing kinetic energy, lifting the throttle initiates a fair bit of regenerative braking.
Being a Kia, we’re getting a lot of kit for the money. Standard features include a host of connectivity options, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, automatic climate control, rear-view camera and navigation. The latter automatically provides a list of and distances to charging stations should battery power get down to 25 per cent.
With ownership, you will be forking out about $2,500 for your own 240 volt charging station which will fully juice the Soul in four to five hours. Trickle charging on 120 volt systems takes considerably longer, although I found an overnight stint did the trick.
So what does it cost to run one of these puppies? The digital readout pegged energy usage at 15.5 kWh per 100 km over the course of one week. Oakville Hydro tells me my overnight rate is 8.0 cents per kWh, but delivery, regulatory charges and debt reduction charges jack that up to 13.0 cents. That works out to about two bucks per 100 km traveled, and right now that two bucks buys two litres of gas, so we’re looking at the equivalent of 2.0 L/100 km. Factor in the green factor, no water, no oil and minimal maintenance, and this makes a pretty sound argument – from both a financial and environmental perspective.
But who’s buying? The electric car experience with its complexity of nuances and nuisances must fit your lifestyle. And that lifestyle, as evidenced by the plethora of Teslas humming about, doesn’t appear to be cheap and cheerful. How many Soul EVs have I seen? None. Ford Focus EVs? None. The Nissan Leaf is a rare sighting at best. Here in North America where distances are long, gas is cheap, and charging stations are as scarce as chicken’s lips, the pure electric car is still a long way from being not much more than a novelty act for solvent greenies.
2015 Kia Soul EV
Peter Bleakney is a regular contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. The vehicle tested was provided by the manufacturer. To reach Peter, email him at wheels@thestar.ca and put his name in the subject line.
BASE PRICE/AS TESTED: $34,995/$35,195
ENGINE: Electric drive motor
TRANSMISSION: Single-speed direct drive
POWER/TORQUE: 109 hp / 210 lb-ft
CONSUMPTION: 15.5 kWh per 100 km observed
COMPETITION:
The world’s best-selling electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf, starts at $31,998 and features a 107-hp electric drive motor
The Ford Focus Electric, which starts at $35,449, shines with a nice interior, handles like a normal Focus
WHAT’S HOT: Smooth and silent operation
WHAT’S NOT: No longs trips in this one
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