"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"
Reviews

2015 KIA SOUL EV REVIEW

2015 KIA SOUL EV

**I was provided a 2015 KIA Soul EV to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.**

A week ago I had the pleasure of driving my first electric car. I had previously spoken with a few friends that made the leap and purchased on but I was still a bit curious as to how this type of vehicle could fit into my hectic life. The wonderful staff a DriveShop delivered me a Clear White 2015 KIA SOUL EV. I’m not a fan of all white vehicles simply because they show every speck of dirt or impurity. Upon previous research I learned that all of the KIA SOUL EV’s have a white roof which is energy efficient. The white hood allows the vehicle to stay cold and heated when needed. The one thing that I wasn’t particularly fond of was that you could only get 85-100 miles on a full charge. Hey if I could get 200 miles on an electric car then I could head to Savannah but other than that the car was amazing!

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

 

Where should I start? This car saved me like $200 on gas just alone with traveling back and forth to drop off laundry, basketball supplies and groceries to my son. Having a college student that lives less than an hour away means “Mommy Is Very Accessible” translated means “Let me call Mom for any and everything”. To ensure that I had sufficient charge on the car to ruin my daily errands I charged the car for 8 hours.

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

The orange top is for home charging when you don’t have the 480-volt DC Power AKA “fast chargers” that connects in the black top section. For review purposes I charged the car from a regular 12-volt wall outlet in my garage.  The KIA SOUL EV showcases a lit section on the dashboard that provide a charge indicator when charging over night. Drive Shop has taken the guessing out of figuring exactly where you can recharge by providing a small info key chain attachment to assist you in finding the nearest charge station. The vehicle also tells you how much charge is available and the distance you have until you are in danger of losing power.

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

The KIA SOUL EV on a full 8-10 hour charge provided me with 85-100 miles but on those days when I forgot to charge it overnight I found that whatever miles I had the night before were exactly what I had the next day hence the two nights I forgot to charge and woke up to only 63 miles when I had events to attend. I did notice that this vehicle has some major horsepower and putting the foot to the medal will cause you to use more energy.

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

The week that I drove the 2015 KIA SOUL EV came with tons of school errands, mad dashes to Atlantic Station, the Amtrak Station to pick up relatives and joy riding. This alone saved me at least another $60-100 in gas. I currently drive an SUV and with the fluctuating price of gas owning an electric car is definitely an ideal choice to make. Especially since I live in an area that basically has everything that you possibly need as far as shopping, entertainment and dining this would definitely be a great investment. If you think about it, owning the 2015 KIA SOUL EV as a second car would be perfect!

Have you ever wondered what’s under the hood of the 2015 KIA SOUL EV? Did I mention that under the hood is immaculate? I took a look under the hood and I must say that I was pleasantly pleased with what I saw. Take a quick look with me.

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

The KIA SOUL EV features include:

  • 27kWh Lithum Ion Polymer Battery
  • 109hp (81.4W) AC Synchronous Electric Motor
  • 16″ Alloy Wheels
  • Dual Front Airbags
  • Dual Front Seat- Mounted Side Air Bags
  • Anti-Lock Braking System
  • Electronically Powered A/C and Heat Pump HVAC
  • EV Charging Station Locator
  • Heated and Ventilated Front Seats

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

I can appreciate the thought that KIA put into creating this vehicle. I learned that you can utilize the A/C only on the driver’s side in efforts to preserve your charge and the fact that they took it to another level to ensure that the seats maintain coolness and seals in heat depending on the weather was a great idea. Can you imagine what you can save in gas in this aspect? Just think about how much gas you waste when the A/C is running in a non-electric car. I know for me I can put a pretty good amount of miles on my SUV and the pressure of finding a gas station with great prices on gasoline can be a headache. This vehicle looks more and more worth the investment. This particular KIA will run you around $36,625 which may seem like a lot but imagine in a years time how much you save in gas.

 One other key point that I would like to point out is that this car is completely soundless. I know that you’re wondering what I’m talking about. One day my youngest had to use the restroom so we pulled up next to a police officers vehicle and we actually startled him. He stated “Is that an electric car because I didn’t even hear you pull up”. I responded yes and he was intrigued that he had a few questions about how it drives. He told me that his daughter in college had been asking for one and he hadn’t had time to check them out on the lot but after reviewing this one he was sold on making the purchase for her. SCORE!

"KIA SOUL EV" "Electric Car" "Auto Review" "Naturalbabydol"

Last but not least is the trunk room. If you’re a frequent reader of my auto reviews then you know as a mom the trunk space makes or breaks for me. This was a shot of some of the request from my oldest who is in college and his roommates. They were throwing a cook-out and needed drinks which meant yet another run for me to the store and to their apartment. The vehicle is definitely Mom-Approved for me.

Have you driven an electric car before? What were your thoughts?