Kia has debuted the Soul EV for Europe
at the Geneva Motor Show, which will be marketed in the region as the e-Soul. The brand’s second battery
electric model in Europe will offer a driving range of up to 452 km per the latest WLTP rules, thanks to its optional 64kWh battery pack. Kia will
offer the new e-Soul with a smaller 39.2kWh battery module as standard, which
comes with a driving range of 277 km on a full charge.
Both versions of the new e-Soul will feature a
lithium-ion battery pack but it’s not just the capacity that changes, it’s also
the electric motor; base models will be powered by a 134 hp electric
motor while the long-range version is getting a more punchy 201 hp motor. The latter can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds.
The new e-Soul is compatible with the 100kW DC fast
charging process, through which it can recharge its battery packs from 20 to 80
percent in 42 minutes.
As with pretty much every purely electric vehicle in
the market, the latest zero-emissions Kia employs a range of energy
recuperation systems to harvest energy, including a regenerative braking system
that can be adjusted via paddles on the steering and a heat pump system. There
are five different levels of regenerative braking you can choose from, while
the new e-Soul also offers 4 different driving modes: Normal, Eco, Eco+ and
Sport.
The Koreans will launch the new e-Soul in Europe
shortly after the conclusion of the Geneva Motor Show, accompanied by a
seven-year, 150,000 km warranty that covers both the electric
motor and the battery pack.
