http://gas2.org/2015/05/11/kia-soul-ev-test-drive-pt-2-fast-charging-and-driving-far/ Kia Soul EV Test Drive, Pt. 2: Fast Charging And Driving Far May 11th, 2015 by Christopher DeMorro
[images http://gas2.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20150509_100841.jpg http://gas2.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20150509_101137.jpg (evse) http://gas2.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20150509_100708.jpg (front charging ports) ] I came around the corner to find my wife just exiting the bar where she works, ready to hop into the cool confines of the Kia Soul EV. I had found that using the air conditioning cost me between 2 and 5 miles from my estimated range calculator, but by driving into Hartford using city streets, rather than always-congested I-84, I was able to maximize the Soul EV’s range. In fact, on the 10-mile journey from my home to my wife’s place of employment, I spent just 4 estimated miles, even with the air conditioning on full blast (it was 90 degrees out, for the record). The journey home was the same deal, with the regenerative braking and activeECO modes reducing power but turning up the regenerative braking. This also meant I didn’t have to use the brakes nearly as much, and I never felt like I was driving in a way that was detrimental to other people on the roads (no creeping along under the speed limit or braking for 200 feet before every stop sign. That said, between dropping my wife off and running errands all day, I arrived home with the battery down to just one-third charge, prompting me to find a place to plug in the next day. I found my charging options down the street at Central Connecticut State University, and initially I plugged into a 240-volt Level 2 Charger, which told me I’d have to wait about 2 hours and 45 minutes for a full charge. That was when my wife called me over to the CHAdeMO/CSS Combo fast-charger also installed. had completely overlooked the fast-charger in my eagerness to plug in the Soul EV, which has a nifty pop-open charging dock where the grille would normally be. Estimated time for a charge dropped to just 39 minutes, giving the wife and I time to enjoy a leisurely stroll home before returning in our other car to recover the Soul EV. An hour later I retrieved the Soul EV, only to discover that the CHAdeMO charging station or the Soul EV stops the fast charging at about 80%. So instead of a full charge, I got a 50% charge (from about 35% to 83%), which gave me just enough range (an estimated 63 miles) to get down to my friend’s Jack and Jill party approximately 25 miles each way. Sure, I could have plugged into the Level 2 charger to top it off, but I had places to go and things to do! That said, I didn’t hesitate to take the Soul EV on the 50-mile round trip journey, feeling confident that the estimated range calculator was quite conservative, especially if I kept it in the regenerative braking-favored “B” driving mode. For this trip though, I kept it in D and even turned the activeECO mode off, giving me all the torque and horsepower to play with. I could really get used to driving an electric vehicle. No gearshifts to deal with, the acceleration is as smooth or as instant as you want, and everything is so quiet. It makes listening to music or having a conversation infinitely easier, and there were plenty of conversations to be had at the Jack and Jill. While the Soul EV didn’t exactly draw a crowd, blending in as well as it did with the gas burners in attendance, but it raised a lot of questions, especially from the older crowd, who had mixed responses and opinions. One guy called it “silly” and said electric cars would “never work”, while a fellow at least a decade his senior was absolutely fascinated. My Millennial-aged friends, however, were for the most part disinterested in the Soul EV, except for Pat, a fellow gearhead. I took him on a quick test drive, and he was impressed with the torque, silence, and well-appointed interior. Unfortunately (for Kia), Pat is one of the many of my generation who have moved into major metro areas; he sold his Subaru WRX with no intention of replacing it anytime soon. Electric cars may solve the problems of noise and pollution, but sometimes, there’s no getting around New York City traffic. Maybe that study about EVs and Millennials wasn’t all that far off the mark? All told, I travelled 45 miles round trip, but the Soul EV’s estimated range calculator only dropped from about 63 miles to 26, and so I never felt any sort of range anxiety. Without a home charger however, I would either have to drop the Soul EV off again at 10 PM in order to use it for the next day, or fall back on my gas-powered car. Not wanting to leave a $36,000 vehicle that doesn’t belong to me overnight in a parking lot, I opted to leave the Soul EV behind on Sunday morning in order to drive my wife into work. I definitely would have driven it had I a home charger, and the 26 miles should have been enough to get me there and back…but I didn’t want to start out my Sunday, stranded at 7 AM halfway home. Thus, the Soul EV spent most of Sunday sitting idle, as I drove my Chevy Sonic once again to go the 60-miles round-trip to visit my mom for mother’s day. Again, had I a mostly-charged Soul EV, I would have driven it…but what I have come to realize is that I probably drive more frequently than the average American, and 80 miles just isn’t quite enough. At least for me. Something interested happened while driving my Sonic down to my mom’s house though. This car that I have loved with all my heart for the past three years now felt a lot more…dated. Older. Obsolete. The way the motor had to roar to deliver any sort of power, the gentle vibrations from the constant spinning of the combustion engine, and the smell. Everything that bothered me about combustion cars seemed much more amplified after a few days with the Soul EV. I found myself missing the Soul EV more and more, and wishing it had a longer range. And that’s where we’re at. If you want to read my initial thoughts, check out part 1, and stay tuned for part 3 to read my final thoughts. [© gas2.org] http://gas2.org/2015/03/04/will-winter-part-1-2015-kia-soul-ev/ Will it Winter? Part 1: 2015 Kia Soul EV March 4th, 2015 by Jo Borrás We’re all big fans of electric cars here at Gas 2, of course. I was a fan “in theory”, at least, but my own experience with EVs had been limited to carefully managed press drives or manufacturer-hosted events. No one had ever tossed me the keys to an EV and invited me to “have at it” for a week or so, and certainly no one had ever done so in the middle of a cold and blustery Chicago winter. Enter: the hot-selling, cleverly-marketed 2015 Kia Soul EV, a 50-mile commute, and a -9 degree morning. 2015 Kia Soul EV | First Impressions Would the Kia be able to handle a 50-mile round trip with the heater on, the Pandora playing, and a driver with a heavy right foot behind the wheel? When the car arrived, I had my doubts. “It says it’s got about 50 miles left,” explained the delivery driver as he handed me the keys. “If you turn the heat on, that’ll drop to 45 right away, and it’ll keep dropping while you’re sitting still.” Not exactly a confidence-booster, that guy. Still, it was a single-digit February day in Chicago’s suburbs, and my usual “first impressions”drive route isn’t more than 10-15 miles. With that thought in mind, I turned on the little Kia Soul’s electric heater and saw the “range” drop steadily (but quickly) from 51 miles to 47 over the course of about two block. “Holy $#!7,” I thought to myself as I watched it happen, “range anxiety is a real thing!” I’ve made fun of EV critics who talk range anxiety in the past. I’ve been the first (and, often, loudest and rudest) comment-er to say things like, “Americans only drive an average of 30-40 miles per day, so an 80 mile range is plenty!” Here I was, however, sitting in west-bound traffic on the I-290, watching the range drop slowly as the Kia Soul EV inched along … and I was terrified. 2015 Kia Soul EV | Getting Over It After a full night’s charge in my garage, the Kia showed a 68 mile range on the dash. More than enough to make the 52 mile round trip I had planned for the day, but Chicago’s traffic (especially in the winter) can be pretty unpredictable. Would I get stuck in traffic and be unable to find a place to charge the car “in the wild”? Of course, I shouldn’t have worried. The Kia Soul EV’s digital “distance to empty” display was incredibly pessimistic, and I was showing 28 miles worth of driving left “in the tank” when I plugged in at the end of the day. More than enough range, in other words, for the Kia to take me on a quick grocery run or drive my kids to the ER if fate demanded it. Real life was proving to be no problem for the Kia Soul EV during bitterly cold (but, otherwise, normal) driving conditions, then. The next morning, however, was a problem. There was some snow. Not the blizzard that that dumped nearly 18? of snow across most of the Great Lakes and New England regions, just a few inches of wet slush. It was enough, however, to light up the Kia Soul’s traction control warning light just about every time I put any pressure the accelerator. Having 100% of your available torque ready from 0 rpm is definitely fun in the summer on dry pavement, but on icy roads it was a bit unsettling- even with traction control. 2015 Kia Soul EV | Final Thoughts At the end of my week with the 2015 Kia Soul EV, I learned a few things. First, a lot of people think the little Kia is “gay”. I’m not sure how an inanimate object could be gay or straight or both or neither, but I was assured that the electric blue Kia with a white roof and off-white interior was “at least as gay as a Volkswagen Cabrio”, which was also confusing. I also learned that the Kia Soul EV is deceptively quick, and a lot more nimble than its tallish proportions would suggest. So, the 2015 Kia Soul EV is a fast, fun, and friendly little conveyance that is more than up to the task of everyday commuting. Granted, it’s not totally at home in winter driving, but the same could be said of any number of cars (electric or otherwise), and it wasn’t completely useless in the white stuff. Still, with a starting price of $35,700 for the Kia Soul EV “+” and a range that, while useful, limits me to borrowing the wife’s Volvo for long road trips, I don’t think it’s for me- especially considering that most of what makes the Kia Soul EV cool is available for $10K less, with a better sound system, in the ICE version. It sure is fun to drive, though- and it does kinda winter! 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