KIA SOUL EV

[jim]

About 10 people I know bought a KIA SOUL EV from California and use them where I live in Arizona. They were fantastic the 1st year or two but then I think the HEAT is winning out. Over half have reported a failure of the OBC On Board Charger. Over half have also had battery problems.
KIA uses air cooling and I think it's not up to the task like water cooling. The Chevy SPARK EV and Volt and BOLT use water cooling. So does Tesla and many others. They all seem to be able to handle the HEAT.
I'd love to try the new Hyundai IONIQ Electric but they also only sell them in California and very few other states. They have a lifetime battery warranty. I wonder how they would do in the desert HEAT. Many Southern states have similar problems and temperatures.

 

[Domenick]

I haven't actually heard much about the Soul EV, aside that a few owners have been quite happy with it. Kia and Hyundai have a pretty large EV program coming, I gotta believe they've attacked/solved any battery problems.

It's one thing to have to replace a battery on 1,000 Souls, say, and quite another to have 40,000 of assorted Kona, Kira, and Stonic packs to replace.

If you wanted to be conservative, you could go the leasing route, or buy one of the liquid-cooled competitors.

 

[Kumar Plocher]

I was super happy with our 2015 Kia Soul EV until we ran over a rock that popped a hole in the bottom of the car (don't ask how that happened- long story!). I took it to Kia and showed him the plastic that had come off. He said not to worry, that everything was protected. Flash forward several months and it's the rainy season. My wife drives through some water and the whole system shorts out. Car is totaled. Driving a RAV4 EV now. Better clearance, but I hope not to ever have to worry about that again!

 

[jim]

When I called KIA to see when they will pick up my 2015 KIA SOUL EV for the battery work they didn't have an update yet. They also had changed the case # to 1238 5522 it started as 12569958 just a week or two ago.
Maybe I'll get it on it's way for repair next week. Until them I can still go 60-70 miles on a charge. It used to be 100 more more.

 

[Domenick]

When I called KIA to see when they will pick up my 2015 KIA SOUL EV for the battery work they didn't have an update yet. They also had changed the case # to 1238 5522 it started as 12569958 just a week or two ago.
Maybe I'll get it on it's way for repair next week. Until them I can still go 60-70 miles on a charge. It used to be 100 more more.

Thanks for the update!

 

[jim]

When I called KIA to see when they will pick up my 2015 KIA SOUL EV for the battery work they didn't have an update yet. They also had changed the case # to 1238 5522 it started as 12569958 just a week or two ago.
Maybe I'll get it on it's way for repair next week. Until them I can still go 60-70 miles on a charge. It used to be 100 more more.

Yesterday 1/10/2018 I dropped my sick KIA off to have the battery fixed. It lost 30 % charge and miles recently like all 10 others in the HOT Phoenix area.
They didn't have any electrics for a loaner car. I went out to get one and the only 100% electrics for rent on TURO or Enterprise or any rental site is the Tesla at over $100 a day. They only allow $34 a day. I finally found a LEAF for $40 a day. I will pay the difference.

Do other areas have Electrics for rent??? I even tried car dealers that has a few used electrics but they don't rent!

 

[jim]

Yesterday 1/10/2018 I dropped my sick KIA off to have the battery fixed. It lost 30 % charge and miles recently like all 10 others in the HOT Phoenix area.
They didn't have any electrics for a loaner car. I went out to get one and the only 100% electrics for rent on TURO or Enterprise or any rental site is the Tesla at over $100 a day. They only allow $34 a day. I finally found a LEAF for $40 a day. I will pay the difference.

Do other areas have Electrics for rent??? I even tried car dealers that has a few used electrics but they don't rent!

I also talked to another person who has a small test fleet of 4 2015 SOUL EV. All 4 also had their batteries fail. They got replaced but no other improvement for cooling. They were turned in and are for sale in the area but will fail again and again.

 

[JyChevyVolt]

I also talked to another person who has a small test fleet of 4 2015 SOUL EV. All 4 also had their batteries fail. They got replaced but no other improvement for cooling. They were turned in and are for sale in the area but will fail again and again.

You need liquid cooling, set at right temperature, for hot areas. Ford didn't do a good job with the temperature part causing early degradation.

The Soul EV is air cooled. It's not gonna last in the desert. Soul EV has on board charger issues. If the Niro EV doesn't have liquid cooling, I'm not buying. NMC 811 has longevity problem.

Also, you can't charge it to 100% and live in out in the sun. It's going to kill the battery.

 

[jim]

You need liquid cooling, set at right temperature, for hot areas. Ford didn't do a good job with the temperature part causing early degradation.

The Soul EV is air cooled. It's not gonna last in the desert. Soul EV has on board charger issues. If the Niro EV doesn't have liquid cooling, I'm not buying. NMC 811 has longevity problem.

Also, you can't charge it to 100% and live in out in the sun. It's going to kill the battery.

Mr Volt,
I charged my FORD Focus EV to 100% everyday and never lost 1%. So liquid cooling is the KEY.
Same with a Chevy SPARK EV I had. It could FAST Charge to 100% with no slow down. Never lost any capacity. Chevy as you know didn't it right with liquid cooling. On the SPARK EV, Volt and Bolt. Others don't want to correct and admit their mistakes like KIA, Nissan and othrs with no cooling or weak air cooling.

 

[jim]

UPDATE My KIA SOUL EV is still out for the battery pack failure. It's been since Jan 10th. They changed the case manager again for the 3rd time. They still don't listen when I tell them I want the battery corrected not just replaced. I also repeat that all 14 in our area have failed. I've contacted Mike O'Brien the VP of product planning to make sure he is aware of this BIG failure.
So be very aware of this problem if you live in the Southern US or any warm area. I've heard from some in Georgia with the same problems.

 

[Steven]

UPDATE My KIA SOUL EV is still out for the battery pack failure. It's been since Jan 10th. They changed the case manager again for the 3rd time. They still don't listen when I tell them I want the battery corrected not just replaced. I also repeat that all 14 in our area have failed. I've contacted Mike O'Brien the VP of product planning to make sure he is aware of this BIG failure.
So be very aware of this problem if you live in the Southern US or any warm area. I've heard from some in Georgia with the same problems.

I have a 2016 Soul EV. It is showing less range now than it had, but it may be that it is due to running the heater and windshield wipers in the Oregon coastal rainy, winter season. What is confusing though is that the miles per kWr is about the same. The car is leased and I'd hoped to buy it eventually. But reading this makes me concerned. If the battery needs replacing, would the 30 kWh battery fit in the 27 kWr car ?

 

[jim]

Steven, So far they won't replace your battery with a longer range 30 kWh battery.
In the cold the miles guess o meter is always lower but gets better as it gets to warm days in the Spring and Summer.

With our heat issue the range drops 30 miles or more in just a minute or two after charging.The range and capacity never comes back. So COLD is temporary but HEAT losses are forever. The warranty usually covers the HEAT loss but takes 1 to 2 months you don't have the car. The loaner they may offer is a cheap gas rental which I would never take.

 

[Domenick]

I have a 2016 Soul EV. It is showing less range now than it had, but it may be that it is due to running the heater and windshield wipers in the Oregon coastal rainy, winter season. What is confusing though is that the miles per kWr is about the same. The car is leased and I'd hoped to buy it eventually. But reading this makes me concerned. If the battery needs replacing, would the 30 kWh battery fit in the 27 kWr car ?

Living up in Oregon, I don't think you'll have the same issues as owners in the hot south are having with major capacity loss.

Still, I would be reluctant to buy the car after lease is done, simply because, depending on how far into the future you plan on doing so, the newer models will be much, much better than the 27 kWh Soul, and you might find a similar or better lease deal.

That's a rule I would follow with most small-battery EVs (< 40 kWh, say). A Tesla might be ok to buy after lease, because the range of new model is unlikely to dramatically increase, but other manufacturers have big improvements coming to their current lineups.

If you're partial to Hyundai/Kia, I would suggest checking out the upcoming Kia Niro EV, Kia Stonic, or the Hyundai Kona EV.

 

[WadeTyhon]

I have a 2016 Soul EV. It is showing less range now than it had, but it may be that it is due to running the heater and windshield wipers in the Oregon coastal rainy, winter season. What is confusing though is that the miles per kWr is about the same. The car is leased and I'd hoped to buy it eventually. But reading this makes me concerned. If the battery needs replacing, would the 30 kWh battery fit in the 27 kWr car ?

It is probably a lifetime average or 'trip' average. There might be way to view more recent efficiency results from the infotainment system like in the Bolt.

Weather wise I think you'll be ok, but if you're primarily going to be fast charging your Soul, I'd suggest not buying it at the end of the lease. You'll have lots of great new and used options by the time your lease is up!

 

[jim]

I have a 2016 Soul EV. It is showing less range now than it had, but it may be that it is due to running the heater and windshield wipers in the Oregon coastal rainy, winter season. What is confusing though is that the miles per kWr is about the same. The car is leased and I'd hoped to buy it eventually. But reading this makes me concerned. If the battery needs replacing, would the 30 kWh battery fit in the 27 kWr car ?

After 29 days we got our SOUL EV back. They replaced the battery pack and BMS. It is still the same design so the battery will fail again in the heat. Their air cooling just doesn't provide enough cooling in the HEAT. Of the 4 problems not have been fixed. The car is also covered with black soot probably from the car hauler to and from Palm Springs. It's even black on the passenger seat from soot.
I'm pursuing turned the car in 4 months early on the lease before it fails again.

 

[WadeTyhon]

After 29 days we got our SOUL EV back. They replaced the battery pack and BMS. It is still the same design so the battery will fail again in the heat. Their air cooling just doesn't provide enough cooling in the HEAT. Of the 4 problems not have been fixed. The car is also covered with black soot probably from the car hauler to and from Palm Springs. It's even black on the passenger seat from soot.
I'm pursuing turned the car in 4 months early on the lease before it fails again.

I really wish Kia/Hyundai would do two things:

1) Sell more than 200 units a month in the US of any given plug-in. (on a regular basis)
2) Start using a halfway decent BMS.

They have a good variety of vehicles on the market. I appreciate that! But I'd never personally consider buying one due to heat issues. That's assuming I even could. It's once in a blue moon that a Kia Soul EV shows up in a Dallas area showroom.

 

[dubluv]

Kia isn't really to blame totally for their bms design. its always the bean counters, aka accountants that dictate what features make it to production that are borderline necessary. yes, bms is necessary, but the cheapest way, like Nissan's Leaf, is to have none. one of the reasons I'd never buy a leaf. Kia took the middle ground, with their air blower that is inadequate in the hotter climates, as reported by actual owners. A Phoenix AZ owner has reported dozens of battery replacements already. armed with what we now know about liquid bms, i'm really curious which design Kia and Hyundai will incorporate into their new offerings, like the Kona EV and Niro EV. if they don't include it in these new cars, many, myself included will simply not buy them.

 

[Domenick]

Kia isn't really to blame totally for their bms design. its always the bean counters, aka accountants that dictate what features make it to production that are borderline necessary. yes, bms is necessary, but the cheapest way, like Nissan's Leaf, is to have none. one of the reasons I'd never buy a leaf. Kia took the middle ground, with their air blower that is inadequate in the hotter climates, as reported by actual owners. A Phoenix AZ owner has reported dozens of battery replacements already. armed with what we now know about liquid bms, i'm really curious which design Kia and Hyundai will incorporate into their new offerings, like the Kona EV and Niro EV. if they don't include it in these new cars, many, myself included will simply not buy them.

Just to keep it clear, a BMS is a battery management system. It is responsible for keeping the cells and/or modules in a balanced state. All electric vehicles from manufacturers have them.
A temperature management system (TMS), which is what you are discussing, does what you might expect: keeps the cells within an optimal operating temperature, most successfully with a fluid of some sort.

 

[dubluv]

ok, thanks for clarifying that term. my point was to make others aware of what takes place with the current tech in the soul EV that prevents it from being a good car in hot climates. I love the car, and I'm not really ever going to stress out the battery pack on Long Island where I live. but you'd be surprised how few people are aware of this important feature. i'm sure the added cost kept Kia from adding Liquid battery cooling, hence why the car is'nt sold in Arizona and other places.

 

[jim]

I got my KIA SOUL EV back a few days ago covered in black soot. The Bluetooth still goes to 1 way sending our voice be we hear nothing until we reboot the sound system on the car every 2 or 3 days.
They did replace the battery pack and BMS but it is the same so it will die in the summer heat. It can now go over 100 miles on a charge but for how long? The DC Fast charge drops from 44 kW rate to 4 kW at about 83 or 84% so you never get to 90 or 100% for a trip.

They are assigning a new case manager to pay us back for our 1 month EV rental during warranty repairs, and to help us cancel our lease under lemon law since all 4 problems have not been fixed.