Kia Soul EV

[abikepeddler]

What kind of range are you guys seeing on 100% charges? I only saw 86 this morning, of course it was in the 50's last night. Maybe it's just the colder weather? Anybody up in Canada keep track of winter versus summer range?

I track almost everything in spreadsheets, somehow this slipped through the cracks.

RT

I am located in San Diego and it was mid-to-high 40s last night when I charged and I too am seeing 86 mile rated range at 100% charge. Keep in mind, I am hammer down on the throttle in this thing all the time so that may have some bearing on rated range. I regularly see 1.8 - 2.7 mi/kw in terms of my driving efficiency. I am no pussy footed hyper miler.

 

[RubberToe]

I am located in San Diego and it was mid-to-high 40s last night when I charged and I too am seeing 86 mile rated range at 100% charge. Keep in mind, I am hammer down on the throttle in this thing all the time so that may have some bearing on rated range. I regularly see 1.8 - 2.7 mi/kw in terms of my driving efficiency. I am no pussy footed hyper miler.

Peddler,
I am the opposite kind of driver. So I'm guessing it is the temperature. Good to know.

RT

 

[Dakkor]

What kind of range are you guys seeing on 100% charges? I only saw 86 this morning, of course it was in the 50's last night. Maybe it's just the colder weather? Anybody up in Canada keep track of winter versus summer range?

I track almost everything in spreadsheets, somehow this slipped through the cracks.

RT

We get around 100km in winter here.

 

[zax123]

Our 2016 is saying about 110-115km these days, and it's about 0 to -5C. In summer, it's more like 140km.

 

[david_42]

Much as I hate to admit it, this car matches our requirements much better than the Model 3. We need the extra space of a hatchback and my wife's commute is only 14 miles each way. I'm still hoping for a hatchback/CUV based on the Model 3 sled. It would be slightly ironic if I end up buying a Kia EV using the profits from my Tesla stock!

Does it have adaptive cruise control?

 

[RubberToe]

Does it have adaptive cruise control?

My two year old (2015) top of the line one does not. The new high end one does now have a parking assist option. Looks like only normal cruise control. From my cell phone, I can control the climate system when the vehicle is plugged in. Can't turn on the seat heater though.

Your wifes use case totally works for the Soul EV.

RT

 

[mtndrew1]

What about a Prius Prime? 25 miles of EV range, hatchback, and adaptive cruise. With the advanced trim level you can control climate functions with the app.

 

[david_42]

My two year old (2015) top of the line one does not. The new high end one does now have a parking assist option. Looks like only normal cruise control. From my cell phone, I can control the climate system when the vehicle is plugged in. Can't turn on the seat heater though.

Your wifes use case totally works for the Soul EV.

RT

Mileage and space wise, yes; but she has an ugly commute on the I205 in Portland (45-75 minutes for 15 miles), so anything we buy will have to have both adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance.

 

[david_42]

What about a Prius Prime? 25 miles of EV range, hatchback, and adaptive cruise. With the advanced trim level you can control climate functions with the app.

Might work, although the range is a bit low.

 

[RubberToe]

Unfortunate incident in a parking lot last night. Pulling forward out of a tight parking space. Right front tire goes over the concrete stopper, and car comes down with a bad metallic thunk.

In the shop today we saw that the hard plastic underbody protector was ripped open. But the bad part is that the very corner of the battery compartment was dented about an inch deep.

Left the car there, nothing visibly punctured, but better safe than sorry WRT batteries. Insurance adjuster coming out later this week. I'll report back what I find out.

RT

 

[miimura]

A RAV4 EV owner did that. It broke a coolant line in the battery pack. With no way to repair it and the cost of the whole pack being prohibitive, the insurance company wrote off the whole car.

 

[RubberToe]

But if the pack costs $8,000 to replace (complete guess), and the cars current value is say $16,000 (complete guess), why wouldn't they replace the pack? I'm not clear on how insurance works.

My specific situation is that I'm leasing the car, and the lease is up in December. Anyone knowing how this might play out feel free to chime in.

RT

 

[miimura]

But if the pack costs $8,000 to replace (complete guess), and the cars current value is say $16,000 (complete guess), why wouldn't they replace the pack? I'm not clear on how insurance works.

My specific situation is that I'm leasing the car, and the lease is up in December. Anyone knowing how this might play out feel free to chime in.

RT

If the situation was as you describe, then they would have done it. I think the problem was that Toyota put some ridiculous price on the traction battery in their parts system. The insurance company could have bought a complete salvage vehicle that had an intact battery for less than $8,000 and made that car whole. I don't know the correct explanation for why they can't or don't do that.

 

[RobStark]

But if the pack costs $8,000 to replace (complete guess), and the cars current value is say $16,000 (complete guess), why wouldn't they replace the pack? I'm not clear on how insurance works.

My specific situation is that I'm leasing the car, and the lease is up in December. Anyone knowing how this might play out feel free to chime in.

RT

If I was the adjuster I would junk it right there.

There is always open ended estimates. It could cost much more than original estimates because there may be hidden damage. Once they buy a new battery pack and try to install they may discover the frame is bent. There is usually rental fees to pay during repairs.

And the typical adjuster is clueless about what might go wrong with a BEV.

Big Insurance companies almost never do closed bid repairs because it incentivizes body shops to cut corners and potential cut corners on safety. Exposing the insurance company's legal liability.

Luxury cars with lots of electronics and gizmos and BEVs get junked when repairs reach 50% of their Blue Book value. For most insurance companies.

 

[RubberToe]

So I heard back from the insurance adjuster and spoke with the service department today...

I should let you know that on Tuesday when the car was on the lift they showed me the damage close up. The battery bottom cover plate was dented, right at the very corner in the far right front of the vehicle. See my pictures taken the day of the incident. The dent was about 1" deep and maybe 2" long. There is an outer hard plastic covering over the entire plate, which was torn open and needs to be completely replaced.

The adjuster signed off on a $4,025 repair. They are going to open up the battery, replace the seal for the bottom plate, replace the bottom plate, and replace the plastic cover. When the battery is open, they will inspect the battery to verify there is no damage to the battery. If there is any damage to the actual battery, then they will call the adjuster back in to reassess the situation. The car ran fine from Monday 7:00pm accident until Tuesday noon when I took it into the shop. No warning lights or anything. This gives me hope that the battery itself is not damaged.





RT

 

[AndY1]

That's good news!

 

[RubberToe]

Well, the sky got a bit darker just now. Kia service just called me up and said that the $2,500 battery base cover has to be shipped from Korea. ETA for the repair is now late April.

Anybody have any ideas of what I might be able to do? First thought was to find out who the dealer is talking to and call them up directly. Second though was trying to find a salvage car and see if I can get the battery cover. That seems like a real longshot.

Not sure how to proceed without a car for 3 months. They said I could go back and pick the car up and drive it. The problem(s) I see with that are: 1) they said not to drive on wet days cause the seal might be damaged, and 2) they won't take the cover off to inspect the actual battery for damage because that is not part of the repair. Maybe I could pay them to do that? I don't want to risk driving the car with what could be a damaged battery.

RT

 

[JRP3]

How about putting something over the hole in the cover? Not sure what type of plastic it is but some plastics can be heat welded, others can be glued with the proper glue, sometimes epoxy works. I covered the entire ABS plastic underbody of my 6 wheeler with epoxy resin and fiberglass cloth to fix a bunch of cracks, it's been holding up well for a number of years now.

 

[abikepeddler]

JRP3 has the right idea. You can cover that hole with a piece of plastic and some good adhesive. I would start by stealing one of my wife's Tupperware lids, cut it to size, and literally use weatherproof caulking to adhere the new plastic to the bottom surface of the car. Either that or you can rent my pristine base cover for, say, $500 a week? Fair? Call me.

 

[abikepeddler]

I don't think anyone think anyone has posted this yet. Bjorn, Tesla YouTube fame, just did an extended review the Kia Soul EV...