The Soul’s funky spirit gets charged . . . in a literal sense. New for the 2015 model year, the Kia Soul EV has an estimated EPA all-electric range of 92 miles highway/120 miles city. During a test drive, more than 50 miles were driven before an overnight re-charge. Based on the dashboard-indicated “battery state” prior to the re-charging, the EPA estimated 105-mile combined rating for city/highway was achievable. Throughout the test week, Soul EV re- charging was done via plugging into a 120-volt outlet (the standard outlet in most homes and garages) for 10-12 hours at a time. A 120-volt recharge on a fully depleted battery can take 24 hours, according to Kia. An underfloor tray in the cargo bay provides a stow place for the standard 120-volt portable charger.

Soul EV has two charging ports located behind a sliding door on the front grille. (The sliding door release is via a dashboard button.) One port is used for Level 1 and Level 2 AC charging (120-volt and 220-volt) while the other port is for DC fast-charging (480-volt). Front wheel drive Soul EV has an AC synchronous permanent magnet electric motor (providing 109 hp/210 pounds-feet of torque), a 192-cell (27 kWh) lithium-ion polymer battery, and Kia’s third- generation re-generative braking system. With rear seats upright, the 101.2-inch wheelbase Soul EV offers 18.8 cubic feet of cargo space--the same as the gasoline-fueled Soul. The Soul EV has a 10-year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty and a 10-year/100,000 mile limited battery warranty.