Details On The All-Electric KIA Soul

2014 kia soul

KIA announced in October that it would be marketing an all-electric KIA Soul in the United States and now they’ve given up some details on the vehicle.

The KIA Soul EV is due to go on sale sometime in 2014 and will mark their first all-electric, zero-emissions vehicle outside of Korea. They intend to promote the vehicle as part of their Clean Mobility program which is focused on making environmentally-friendly cars.

Although it’s the first all-electric vehicle to be marketed outside of Korea, it isn’t their first time out of the gate with EV technology. The KIA Soul EV will feature their second-generation technology based on what they learned from the Ray EV that was sold in Korea.

They’re shooting for a range of 120 miles per charge through a high-capacity 27kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack. The KIA Soul EV will also recycle energy generated during coasting or braking back into the battery.

You’ll be able to plug it into a standard outlet and have your vehicle fully charged in about five hours for a completely drained battery using a 240v outlet or in as short as 25 minutes with fast charge.

The front-wheel drive KIA Soul EV prototypes are being built on a modified version of the existing 2014 KIA Soul with a 109 HP electric motor and 210 lb-ft of torque. They do 0-62 MPH in under 12 seconds and hit a top speed of 90 MPH.

The KIA Soul EV will have added safety to help make sure pedestrians are aware of the vehicle. It will be equipped with a Virtual Engine Sound System that will sound an audible alert whenever it’s going less than 12 MPH and anytime it’s in reverse.

Exterior styling will be based on the 2012 KIA Track’ster concept including projection type headlamps, LED positioning lamps, LED rear combination lamps, and aerodynamic 16″ alloy wheels.

The inside will feature a unique instrument cluster and center stack with 8″ display screen. It will also include lots of environmentally friendly materials like Bio Plastic, Bio Foam, and low volatility organic compounds.

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.