As technology in the automotive industry marches on, more and more hybrid and electric vehicles are becoming available, both as alternate models that we already know and new ones entirely. There have been rumors of a Kia Soul all-electric option coming for a long time now and recently the automaker announced that it would soon be a reality! Safe to say, we here at Lithia Kia of Anchorage got pretty excited by the news and we know drivers all across the country were too.
And now, the folks over at Autoblog got to take the Soul EV prototype out for a test drive. Putting aside our envy, let's take a look at what their impressions were.
Though most of the vehicle was covered in dark camouflaging fabric, one can see immediately that it still retains its iconic shape, bringing to mind images of big, dancing hamsters. At zero-emissions, the Soul EV doesn't skimp on the power that many often associate with all-electric vehicles. An 81.4kW electric motor is paired up with a 27-killowat-hour lithium-ion battery to produce a surprising 109 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. The found the 0-60mph time was just around 11.5 seconds, as the automaker estimated it would be.
While confined to just the highway roads, the Soul EV performed admirably. The drive was smooth and easy to handle, with the next-gen regenerative braking system making an interesting feel that, once they got used to it, provided a more enjoyable experience.
With nearly nothing bad to say, it looks like Kia is doing all the right things here! We're incredibly excited for its release, even though it's over a year away. Just more time for it to get even better. If you'd like to check out a gasoline-powered Soul or any other new Kia you like for yourself, the staff at our Anchorage, AK dealership are ready and waiting to help.