What do you think the range of my Kia Soul EV will be in the dead of winter at -35°C (-31°F) ? Share your predictions in the comments and watch the video to find out.
Hello from France and thanks for this brilliant myth busting video. I've owned a Kia e-Niro from new in March 2019, so coming up 5 years next month. It has the same 64 kWh battery as the Soul, now with 97,000 km on the clock and as yet have experienced no discernible loss of range. The lowest I've ever seen on the GOM was during a mid-winter trip to Germany....I think it was 380 km at 100% SOC. Normally at home here in winter 100% SOC gives us 420 to 450 km and in summer with local driving over 500 km...Where we live in the Poitou-Charente -5c is a cold night, I can't imagine -35c...you guys are made of tougher stuff over there, you didn't even have a hat on! Interesting when you were going past the refineries...here in Europe petroleum consumption is falling and refineries are closing...all good news as EV sales continue to grow.
I am very happy that you liked the video! Honestly I was surprised how well the Kia did in such harsh climate. I was expecting to get much less range than the 200km that I managed to get out of the battery. During the summer my GOM also shows around the same range your e-Niro does which makes me think there isn’t much degradation when it comes to the battery. Canada is slowly embracing EVs but not at the same pace that Europe does and my area (which focuses on the petroleum industry) is much slower in adapting to EVs than the rest of Canada. I am hoping that the tide will turn and we will see more EVs where I live in the coming months and years.
Thanks, glad you liked the video! I was also surprised that heating took so much energy. Imagine an EV without a heat pump in these conditions, the consumption would have been even greater.
@@multivisao No, in the middle of Norway , Røros, Tynset and Folldal is around -30 ish.. watch Tesla Bjørn, Bjørn Nyland camping in his Tesla ad tests EVs in the cold ;)
Been away for a little while due to some home remodelling that needed my attention. Back with a new video this coming weekend! Thanks for the kind words!
@@LeftCoastEV Excellent - looking forward to it. Always good info for EV travellers in your videos. I’ll be making a trip in a F-150 Lighting next month from BC’s Sunshine Coast to Calgary, North Battleford, Edmonton and back. Tesla supercharger access is going to make this trip so much easier!
That will be an amazing trip for sure! And you are correct the Superchargers will make it a breeze otherwise you would have to use Flo 50kw infrastructure in most places which is not ideal when travelling in a Lightning. Have a safe trip!
@@LeftCoastEV Yes! The route via Jasper would take forever in the Lighting! Electrify Canada makes the route via Banff doable. Also going to North Battleford in Saskatchewan would have been impossible. There are some slow non-Tesla chargers listed on that route on PlugShare; however, they are always down! If it wasn’t for the Tesla Chargers along highway 16 I would be bringing my gas generator as a backup!
On that route Flo has installed chargers right next to the Superchargers so you will see them when you travel. But even then it would take ages to charge that massive Lightning battery. North Battleford has 2 Flo 50kw installations as well as 2 ChargePoint 125kw chargers. I believe the ChargePoint ones are in series so you share power if someone else is charging. But apart from that I agree the Jasper route would be slow going in your vehicle otherwise.
We have the same chargers in Qc. You can tap the card in parallel of the charger talking to the car. Very nice video of a cold test! Thanks for doing it as I’m interested in a Kia Niro Ev, with the same battery architecture.
Thanks, glad you liked the video! I actually regret not buying the Niro. It was between a Niro and the Soul and the only reason we got the Soul was that it was sitting on the dealer lot and the Niro had a 1 month wait time. We needed a car so ended up with the Soul. I would love to have had the added space of the Niro. It’s a great car.
I have a 2021 Soul EV in Campbell River BC. Great Video. I was wondering where on the system you got the screen showing breakdown of energy information at 14:45 of the video.Thanks
Glad you liked the video! The energy information can be accessed as follows: push the dedicated EV button just next to the temperature setting knob; then click the hamburger icon on the upper part of the screen (it looks like three short parallel lines); when the context menu appears click on energy information and finally choose electricity use on the left hand side.
Living in Sherwood Park and thinking about getting an EV9 AWD. Has the vehicle been reliable in terms of driving in those temperatures. Obviously outside this video. I understand doors can feel like tin can and tires get flat spotted on all cars. But does the car have problems driving or giving you a board of warning lights when it turns cold? I know people who have Toyota Rav4 Primes here and they give dashboard full of warning light in those temperatures unless they switch to hybrid mode. Two different vehicles same problems and it;'s common on the forums for the Rav4 Primes. Does the Kia or Tesla have similar issues on those temps? I know the rang falls but all I need is like 130 km range in the winter max, I can also plug in to 120V for 12 hrs half way through the 130km commute. Finalizing install on 48A charger at home for most charging.
When we had those -40 temps no warning lights on the dash. Car started up. I even parked it outside for one night to see if it would. It did and no issues. With PHEV vehicles the problem is that the EV portion is only rated to a certain point below 0 degrees Celsius then the cars switch into hybrid mode and basically then you are just carrying a heavy battery around that is not being utilized. Pure EVs don’t have a gas engine to fall back on so the technology is a bit different. Go for the EV9 it looks to be an amazing car. Plus the charging is great too when you take it on road trips. If you are going to install a charger at home your commute will be doable without even needing to plug in at work. My only tip is to precondition the car before driving in winter. You can use the app to start the climate and battery preconditioning as it’s charging in your garage so then there is minimal battery loss. If you get into the habit of preconditioning each morning in winter the car will work just fine.
Great review. Currently driving a PHEV and have been thinking of moving on to an EV but was concerned about winter hwy range and charging. This erased my concerns. Thanks
Happy to hear! Most people don’t live in such a cold environment like I do so anything warmer than what you saw in the video will extend your range considerably. As a side note the Kia Soul EV has been very reliable all winter and no problems getting it started even when I parked it outside for a few hours or even overnight.
I’ve never seen that Energy Information screen on my 2023 Kia Soul EV. Where in the menus would I find that helpful info? I’m jealous you have a HUD display. Ours is top of the line but it seems that Kia removed the HUD on Canadian 2023 models (I think they’re still on the top of the line trims sold in Europe though). I do think that EVs are more reliable in winter, my complaint are the charging companies having unreliable chargers (but that’s a problem in summer too). And each site only having 1-2 level 3 plugs is not enough, especially when those sites are few & far between. And none seem to have canopies (although the 1 Electrify Canada station I’ve found does? We need sites with more DC plugs, amenities like bathrooms and heated lounge spaces (have you seen Out of Spec’s review of that Mercedes Benz charger site…THAT is what we need everywhere) for people to be comfortable making the switch to EVs. Charging HAS to be just as convenient as gas fill-ups are for it to be mainstream accepted.
Yeah, Kia likes to bury cool features within their infotainment system for no reason at all. I feel that this should be accessible with one click. The energy information can be accessed as follows: push the dedicated EV button just next to the temperature setting knob; then click the hamburger icon on the upper part of the screen (it looks like three short parallel lines); when the context menu appears click on energy information and finally choose electricity use on the left hand side. Also, totally agree about infrastructure and adoption. The only way more people will buy an EV is when the charging network expands and becomes more reliable.
I have both, our 2020 Soul EV Limited with almost 100K km, about 60K Km of road tripping from Sechelt BC to Calgary, Edmonton and Edson. Great to see it is very functional in cold Alberta winters! We also bought a 2023 Ioniq 5 Ultimate for our road tripper, actually traded our 2019 Soul EV our first EV, did 2 trips to Edmonton from Vancouver with the 2019 Kia, did really well in spring and summer. Unfortunately our Ioniq 5 was a lemon, could not fast DC charge since new, 7 months, 6 ferry rides to service it was finally fixed, we sold it and bought a 2023 Tesla Model Y long Range Fremont built, 4 trips to Edmonton, Calgary, Jasper and Edson never missed a beat. Our trips to Calgary were about 3 hours less due to the fast charging and efficiency, 2 of those trips were at -18 deg C snow, black ice and wind on one round trip! Stellar car!
They took the HUD off the UK models after the First Edition in 2021. I have a 2022 Maxx model (64kWh battery, no heat pump) that I am very happy with 🙂
I also have a 2021 Soul and loved it. But one question, your battery consumption etc, mine is not exactly the same, not the same graphics. What years your Soul?
Mine is a 2021 Soul EV Limited. The graphics are different in the infotainment since I updated the software. It’s very easy to do and you can do it on your own. Just search: kia navigation update, download the software and follow the steps on screen.
Glad you like the video! Yes, most people will never experience temperatures like this, but it's nice to know that electric cars (like this Kia Soul EV) can handle the cold and also charge without issue.
Summer range depends on speed. If I go 110km/h or less then I can get very close to 380 real world on the highway. 120km/h I get around 340. Anything less than 100km/h you are looking at close to 400. It’s got pretty good efficiency for such a boxy car. I will do the same run in the summer to compare later this year.
The result was pretty surprising. I thought the range at this temperature would be much less than what you got. I would have guessed about 150km. And I agree would be nice to see something similar in a Tesla.
Wpg heat-pumpLESS 2023 Mach E here Jan 2025. Thank you for this very comprehensive cold weather range demonstration!!! We are in need of more infrastructure (particularly northward) for highway travel. For rural destinations nearer to Wpg, I shall feel more confident highway driving in winter but I wonder how much difference a heat-pump would make during extreme cold spells . I am starting to wish my car provided the same detailed battery info your Kia does - thx again.😊
Based on testing I did a few years ago between Tesla Model 3 one with heat pump and the other without (just the standard PTC heater) the difference was there in cold weather. But the difference wasn’t huge. That being said having a bit more efficiency especially during our Canadian winters is a good thing. I want to make it out to Manitoba for a road trip sometime and see your infrastructure. I’ve heard on the news that Manitoba Hydro is wanting to get into the EV charging space so should get better soon if they do. Glad you liked the video!
Do you have a tesla? This test would be good as well. I have a 22 tesla MYLR 62k on the car, I'm in regina Saskatchewan, -32c on the 15th of January, I drove to work which is 60km one way, left home at 80% soc, used 25%, 21.50 kwh @ 360 wh/km, inside temp at 22c, that's with 2 occupants in the car. Car sat outside plugged into 110 for 10hrs, only kept battery warm all day didn't gain anything, left work with 51% after pre conditioned, got home with 25%, used 19.50 kwh @302wh/km. The car is awsome in the winter, the extreme cold.
Dam -35! I thought running out of power in our 24kwh Leaf around 6 years ago and being stranded for 3.5 hours, but that was only -7 just south of Christchurch NZ. That is crazy cold in Canada! I guess our new Kia EV6 would have come in handy back then!
Prior to the filming day we had temperatures of -40 and with windchill it was above -50 so very cold indeed. I would say that the EV6 would also do much better during this test since it has battery heating...the Soul EV only has winter mode which doesn't do much when the weather is this extreme. As a side note, I would love to visit NZ one day and do an EV road trip across your beautiful country.
Interesting but anecdotal, Is your car parked in garage or on the street? It's the initial startup that's bricking EVs/PHEVs, where the vehicles are being parked over an extended amount of time. I don't think I would have trusted a station with so few chargers at the end of the trip there, I haven't been left out in the cold yet, but I've seen enough stops that have no chargers working/servicing that I would give myself a few more clicks :).
I park both on my driveway and in the garage. My garage is not heated so it gets cold. Had no issues starting the car even in these temps while parked outside. However, I always recommend having the car plugged into a charger. Even a Level 1. I understand that this is not possible for everyone, but if you are able then it’s good practice to do so. I am hoping for more cold days so I can do a video about cold starting an EV as well. Then trying to charge it. As for trusting chargers, I had a backup about 10 minutes away if the one I chose didn’t work. I’ve had good luck so far with Flo.
Hello from Vancouver Island. My Bolt euv doesn't have a heat pump, but the coldest we got this winter so far has been -13C. I can often get 500kms on a charge in the summer (calculated, as I don't charge to 100% or drain the battery), but at -13 it was looking like 300-ish kms. I don't go more than 100kph in the cold, no matter what the speed limit is, which isn't a problem here on the Island, where there's just a bit of 110kph hwy. BTW, I hold the charging "nozzle' into the car's charge port while the handshake happens; it may just be a superstition, but I do it anyway.
That’s very impressive summer range! I’ve not had a chance to drive any of the Bolts but they have always been on my list. Maybe one day. I hear from many people that the efficiency is quite good. As for the “nozzle” comment, I do it sometimes when the charger looks a bit ragged or if I don’t hear a satisfying click when I plug in. Thanks for watching and enjoy the “summer” weather by Alberta standards!
Suprisingly good range on that temperature. If I recall correctly, Teslas have similar drop already in -20 °C. Luckily the charger was not a Tesla Supercharger as those have 'California cables' that will not bend on that temperature and would start stiffening on -20 °C, already (among other issues).
I was also surprised that I managed to drive that far in such temperatures. I want to do the same test in a Tesla once temperatures drop again just to see first hand how it does.
Kia makes really good cars, Nissan I am looking at you and your natural cool batteries. I envy the Kis brand looking at my Nissan. Really impressed with the results
I still don’t understand the decision making at Kia. They didn’t think the US was a viable market for a new Soul EV? I bet you a lot of people would buy the new version.
Final number was better than 2/3 of the initial GOM value. Not bad. Also, the GOM was dropping at a fairly consistent rate, so there would be no surprise as long as one was paying attention. My first long road trip I had a leg where I did not charge as high as I should have, and turned into the wind. However, I was watching the rate of the decrease in my buffer. This allowed a small decrease in speed to make enough impact that I did not need to drop real slow to make the next charger. Arrived at 9% which is about 30 km or so, so no drama. I'm in my first winter with an EV, and I do not get the range I did in the summer, but it is consistent. Not as cold here are there, so only seeing a deduction in range of about 20%, and no heat pump.
I agree, the GOM was very linear even taking into account the extreme temperatures. I felt at ease driving and knew exactly how much I would have left and when to start looking for a charger. Like you said, paying attention to the car is key in such situations.
I owned a 2018 Soul EV for 5 years, 100 000 km. Incredibly cheap car to own. I switched to a used 2020 Soul EV 64 kWh Limited after that, and loved it. The IONIQ 5 Ultimate I ordered arrived after 23 months so I switched to that since but I still miss some of the 2020 Soul EV's features. Great headlights, great sound system, a sunroof that opens! IONIQ 5 doesn't have any of those. Enjoy the car!
@@LeftCoastEV Lovely car to keep this long! A Soul EV might not be the prettiest car, sure, but the space inside is incredibly well sized and super useful. Better than a Niro, for sure. The IONIQ 5 Ultimate needs between 28 and 38 kWh/100 km in Quebec winters (the normal 0 to -20 degree C kind). We have a kind of mild winter this year, I can't tell how much worse it would be in -35 C but yeah, that Soul EV isn't bad at all! The 2020+ Soul EV eats tires for breakfast and can need a new transmission sooner than later, but otherwise it's one of the best-kept secrets in EV Land!
I would love to do a winter test of the IONIQ 5 here in Edmonton. Would be really curious to see what kind of range it would get. Totally agree with you on the Soul EV. We’ve carried a lot of stuff in this small little car and people are always amazed how much I can fit into such a small space.
heat pump efficiency at -35 does not really work unless they scavenge some heat from the battery to boost the temperature. You also really helped the car by plugging it in to start and having the battery heated up to +7C - that would have taken a ton of energy if started from cold especially since it would have had to use the resistive heater to heat cabin and battery..
This is why cars like Tesla scavenge heat from the battery thus making it more efficient during cold weather (and much warmer inside the cabin). It’s always good practice to precondition an electric car battery no matter the temperature and can be done while plugged (same as what ICE drivers do when their remote start their vehicles prior to driving to heat up the engine).
Our new EV has the 72kw useable LFP battery and it’s perfectly fine. Best car I’ve ever owned. Precondition the car before a drive. In the southeast of Alberta. Depending the outside temp 10%to20% loss is what I saw. Lowest I had was 23.7 kwh/100km. @-30c Ice car loose range too, and I’ve seen neighbours running their car for hours keeping them warm burning gas going nowhere. And the always present condensation in the gas and tank at those temps.
EXCELLENT test! You thoroughly debunked the "EVs not running in extreme cold weather" FUD! Yes, the range suffers, but otherwise, they are even more dependable than ICE cars in extreme cold weather, provided you do not let the battery go down too much in charge. One side note: Cabin temperature was set too high. I personally never heat up to more than 20°C, which is plenty comfy enough with the seat heaters on! That would have saved you a couple of % of battery capacity. I have a Tesla Model 3 LR and would love you to do the same test with one! I subscribed to your channel to get informed when you get that video out!
Glad you liked the video! Heating definitely plays a part in consumption especially in such extreme cold temperatures and even lowering it a degree or two would help for sure. As soon as temperatures drop again here I plan on doing a Tesla run. I have the car ready just need it to get colder. Thanks for watching and thanks for the subscription!
If had watched the video and listened to my explanation then you would know that the speed limit on Highway 2 is 110 and on the Henday it’s 100. To keep my speed as constant as possible I decided to drive 105.
If you live in such a cold & in populated area going to need a trailer hitch on your EV. Yep to charge the EV when battery is over 90% discharged and no where near a working public charger. I live in a big city that at least 75,000 homes do not have a driveway or garage so they could not have their own EV charger. Lucky maybe once in a blue moon to get a parking space within 50' of these row houses.
Two hours and twenty-one minutes 'til a full battery?! 😲 My ICE car fills in three minutes, and I can use my whole tank. Also heat is a byproduct of combustion; no steamy windows. I'll stick with petrol. 😌
.....Also full battery power is not required most of the time while driving in the city. The final 20% of a charge takes the longest time so if not needed for the balance of the drive, omit it.
What do you think the range of my Kia Soul EV will be in the dead of winter at -35°C (-31°F) ? Share your predictions in the comments and watch the video to find out.
Hello from France and thanks for this brilliant myth busting video. I've owned a Kia e-Niro from new in March 2019, so coming up 5 years next month. It has the same 64 kWh battery as the Soul, now with 97,000 km on the clock and as yet have experienced no discernible loss of range. The lowest I've ever seen on the GOM was during a mid-winter trip to Germany....I think it was 380 km at 100% SOC. Normally at home here in winter 100% SOC gives us 420 to 450 km and in summer with local driving over 500 km...Where we live in the Poitou-Charente -5c is a cold night, I can't imagine -35c...you guys are made of tougher stuff over there, you didn't even have a hat on! Interesting when you were going past the refineries...here in Europe petroleum consumption is falling and refineries are closing...all good news as EV sales continue to grow.
I am very happy that you liked the video! Honestly I was surprised how well the Kia did in such harsh climate. I was expecting to get much less range than the 200km that I managed to get out of the battery. During the summer my GOM also shows around the same range your e-Niro does which makes me think there isn’t much degradation when it comes to the battery. Canada is slowly embracing EVs but not at the same pace that Europe does and my area (which focuses on the petroleum industry) is much slower in adapting to EVs than the rest of Canada. I am hoping that the tide will turn and we will see more EVs where I live in the coming months and years.
Excellent test in extreme cold conditions. Very interesting that 30 % of the energy went towards interior heating.
Thanks, glad you liked the video! I was also surprised that heating took so much energy. Imagine an EV without a heat pump in these conditions, the consumption would have been even greater.
I've heard heat pumps are only effective above 0 degrees. You don't get much benefit below that.
Depends on the heat pump some are rated to lower temps like ones in Tesla cars (which also use aggressive heat scavenging from the battery).
I'll leave -35C range tests for you.... Thanks for sharing your winter range test. 🙂
Haha thanks! It’s a hard job but someone has to do it!
If Norway (with the highest uptake of EVs in the world) can do it, any country can. Nice video. Thanks for making it. Especially in that extreme cold.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
Norway doesn’t have the same kind of cold weather Canada gets…they have more wild weather on average than we do.
@@multivisao No, in the middle of Norway , Røros, Tynset and Folldal is around -30 ish.. watch Tesla Bjørn, Bjørn Nyland camping in his Tesla ad tests EVs in the cold ;)
@@multivisao search for "Tesla Folldal" :)
Missing your videos - hope to see some more soon!
Been away for a little while due to some home remodelling that needed my attention. Back with a new video this coming weekend! Thanks for the kind words!
@@LeftCoastEV Excellent - looking forward to it. Always good info for EV travellers in your videos. I’ll be making a trip in a F-150 Lighting next month from BC’s Sunshine Coast to Calgary, North Battleford, Edmonton and back. Tesla supercharger access is going to make this trip so much easier!
That will be an amazing trip for sure! And you are correct the Superchargers will make it a breeze otherwise you would have to use Flo 50kw infrastructure in most places which is not ideal when travelling in a Lightning. Have a safe trip!
@@LeftCoastEV Yes! The route via Jasper would take forever in the Lighting! Electrify Canada makes the route via Banff doable. Also going to North Battleford in Saskatchewan would have been impossible. There are some slow non-Tesla chargers listed on that route on PlugShare; however, they are always down! If it wasn’t for the Tesla Chargers along highway 16 I would be bringing my gas generator as a backup!
On that route Flo has installed chargers right next to the Superchargers so you will see them when you travel. But even then it would take ages to charge that massive Lightning battery. North Battleford has 2 Flo 50kw installations as well as 2 ChargePoint 125kw chargers. I believe the ChargePoint ones are in series so you share power if someone else is charging. But apart from that I agree the Jasper route would be slow going in your vehicle otherwise.
We have the same chargers in Qc. You can tap the card in parallel of the charger talking to the car. Very nice video of a cold test! Thanks for doing it as I’m interested in a Kia Niro Ev, with the same battery architecture.
Thanks, glad you liked the video! I actually regret not buying the Niro. It was between a Niro and the Soul and the only reason we got the Soul was that it was sitting on the dealer lot and the Niro had a 1 month wait time. We needed a car so ended up with the Soul. I would love to have had the added space of the Niro. It’s a great car.
I have a 2021 Soul EV in Campbell River BC. Great Video. I was wondering where on the system you got the screen showing breakdown of energy information at 14:45 of the video.Thanks
Glad you liked the video! The energy information can be accessed as follows: push the dedicated EV button just next to the temperature setting knob; then click the hamburger icon on the upper part of the screen (it looks like three short parallel lines); when the context menu appears click on energy information and finally choose electricity use on the left hand side.
Very informative piece, l am sure everyone agrees with me, waiting for the same adventure but with Tesla🙌🍀
Thank you! Tesla will be next for sure!
You know it's goddamn cold when you can hear cars from miles away like they're beside you.
Yup. It’s my first winter in Edmonton and nothing prepared me for such temps.
Living in Sherwood Park and thinking about getting an EV9 AWD. Has the vehicle been reliable in terms of driving in those temperatures. Obviously outside this video. I understand doors can feel like tin can and tires get flat spotted on all cars. But does the car have problems driving or giving you a board of warning lights when it turns cold?
I know people who have Toyota Rav4 Primes here and they give dashboard full of warning light in those temperatures unless they switch to hybrid mode. Two different vehicles same problems and it;'s common on the forums for the Rav4 Primes. Does the Kia or Tesla have similar issues on those temps? I know the rang falls but all I need is like 130 km range in the winter max, I can also plug in to 120V for 12 hrs half way through the 130km commute. Finalizing install on 48A charger at home for most charging.
When we had those -40 temps no warning lights on the dash. Car started up. I even parked it outside for one night to see if it would. It did and no issues. With PHEV vehicles the problem is that the EV portion is only rated to a certain point below 0 degrees Celsius then the cars switch into hybrid mode and basically then you are just carrying a heavy battery around that is not being utilized. Pure EVs don’t have a gas engine to fall back on so the technology is a bit different. Go for the EV9 it looks to be an amazing car. Plus the charging is great too when you take it on road trips. If you are going to install a charger at home your commute will be doable without even needing to plug in at work. My only tip is to precondition the car before driving in winter. You can use the app to start the climate and battery preconditioning as it’s charging in your garage so then there is minimal battery loss. If you get into the habit of preconditioning each morning in winter the car will work just fine.
Great review. Currently driving a PHEV and have been thinking of moving on to an EV but was concerned about winter hwy range and charging. This erased my concerns. Thanks
Happy to hear! Most people don’t live in such a cold environment like I do so anything warmer than what you saw in the video will extend your range considerably. As a side note the Kia Soul EV has been very reliable all winter and no problems getting it started even when I parked it outside for a few hours or even overnight.
I’ve never seen that Energy Information screen on my 2023 Kia Soul EV. Where in the menus would I find that helpful info? I’m jealous you have a HUD display. Ours is top of the line but it seems that Kia removed the HUD on Canadian 2023 models (I think they’re still on the top of the line trims sold in Europe though). I do think that EVs are more reliable in winter, my complaint are the charging companies having unreliable chargers (but that’s a problem in summer too). And each site only having 1-2 level 3 plugs is not enough, especially when those sites are few & far between. And none seem to have canopies (although the 1 Electrify Canada station I’ve found does? We need sites with more DC plugs, amenities like bathrooms and heated lounge spaces (have you seen Out of Spec’s review of that Mercedes Benz charger site…THAT is what we need everywhere) for people to be comfortable making the switch to EVs. Charging HAS to be just as convenient as gas fill-ups are for it to be mainstream accepted.
Yeah, Kia likes to bury cool features within their infotainment system for no reason at all. I feel that this should be accessible with one click. The energy information can be accessed as follows: push the dedicated EV button just next to the temperature setting knob; then click the hamburger icon on the upper part of the screen (it looks like three short parallel lines); when the context menu appears click on energy information and finally choose electricity use on the left hand side. Also, totally agree about infrastructure and adoption. The only way more people will buy an EV is when the charging network expands and becomes more reliable.
I have both, our 2020 Soul EV Limited with almost 100K km, about 60K Km of road tripping from Sechelt BC to Calgary, Edmonton and Edson. Great to see it is very functional in cold Alberta winters! We also bought a 2023 Ioniq 5 Ultimate for our road tripper, actually traded our 2019 Soul EV our first EV, did 2 trips to Edmonton from Vancouver with the 2019 Kia, did really well in spring and summer. Unfortunately our Ioniq 5 was a lemon, could not fast DC charge since new, 7 months, 6 ferry rides to service it was finally fixed, we sold it and bought a 2023 Tesla Model Y long Range Fremont built, 4 trips to Edmonton, Calgary, Jasper and Edson never missed a beat. Our trips to Calgary were about 3 hours less due to the fast charging and efficiency, 2 of those trips were at -18 deg C snow, black ice and wind on one round trip! Stellar car!
Nothing beats a Tesla on road trips. From the efficiency to battery management it’s the best. And the charging is great too.
They took the HUD off the UK models after the First Edition in 2021.
I have a 2022 Maxx model (64kWh battery, no heat pump) that I am very happy with 🙂
Really good to see, thanks
Glad you liked the video!
I also have a 2021 Soul and loved it.
But one question, your battery consumption etc, mine is not exactly the same, not the same graphics. What years your Soul?
Mine is a 2021 Soul EV Limited. The graphics are different in the infotainment since I updated the software. It’s very easy to do and you can do it on your own. Just search: kia navigation update, download the software and follow the steps on screen.
180 km range?
Good guess! You are very close!
What app are you using for the battery info.
The app is called CarScanner. I have a link in the description of this video.
Interesting test. We don't have those kind of temperatures in the UK but it's good to know the potential of the Soul EV.
Glad you like the video! Yes, most people will never experience temperatures like this, but it's nice to know that electric cars (like this Kia Soul EV) can handle the cold and also charge without issue.
135kms 0:13
Good guess but you are for from the actual distance that I travelled!
Just got to the end of the video 23:15 and thats pretty impressive. What do you usually get in the summer? @LeftCoastEV
Summer range depends on speed. If I go 110km/h or less then I can get very close to 380 real world on the highway. 120km/h I get around 340. Anything less than 100km/h you are looking at close to 400. It’s got pretty good efficiency for such a boxy car. I will do the same run in the summer to compare later this year.
The result was pretty surprising. I thought the range at this temperature would be much less than what you got. I would have guessed about 150km. And I agree would be nice to see something similar in a Tesla.
Planning to do a similar run in a Tesla once the temps dip again.
Wpg heat-pumpLESS 2023 Mach E here Jan 2025. Thank you for this very comprehensive cold weather range demonstration!!! We are in need of more infrastructure (particularly northward) for highway travel. For rural destinations nearer to Wpg, I shall feel more confident highway driving in winter but I wonder how much difference a heat-pump would make during extreme cold spells . I am starting to wish my car provided the same detailed battery info your Kia does - thx again.😊
Based on testing I did a few years ago between Tesla Model 3 one with heat pump and the other without (just the standard PTC heater) the difference was there in cold weather. But the difference wasn’t huge. That being said having a bit more efficiency especially during our Canadian winters is a good thing. I want to make it out to Manitoba for a road trip sometime and see your infrastructure. I’ve heard on the news that Manitoba Hydro is wanting to get into the EV charging space so should get better soon if they do. Glad you liked the video!
Do you have a tesla? This test would be good as well. I have a 22 tesla MYLR 62k on the car, I'm in regina Saskatchewan, -32c on the 15th of January, I drove to work which is 60km one way, left home at 80% soc, used 25%, 21.50 kwh @ 360 wh/km, inside temp at 22c, that's with 2 occupants in the car. Car sat outside plugged into 110 for 10hrs, only kept battery warm all day didn't gain anything, left work with 51% after pre conditioned, got home with 25%, used 19.50 kwh @302wh/km. The car is awsome in the winter, the extreme cold.
I plan to do a similar test with a Tesla when the temperatures dip again. I want to see how it compares to this older Kia.
More stats than a baseball podcast.
Thanks for watching!
Dam -35! I thought running out of power in our 24kwh Leaf around 6 years ago and being stranded for 3.5 hours, but that was only -7 just south of Christchurch NZ. That is crazy cold in Canada! I guess our new Kia EV6 would have come in handy back then!
Prior to the filming day we had temperatures of -40 and with windchill it was above -50 so very cold indeed. I would say that the EV6 would also do much better during this test since it has battery heating...the Soul EV only has winter mode which doesn't do much when the weather is this extreme. As a side note, I would love to visit NZ one day and do an EV road trip across your beautiful country.
Now you should do the same test in summer in plus 30 weather and se the difference.
Good idea. Will put it on my video list for the summer.
Interesting but anecdotal, Is your car parked in garage or on the street? It's the initial startup that's bricking EVs/PHEVs, where the vehicles are being parked over an extended amount of time.
I don't think I would have trusted a station with so few chargers at the end of the trip there, I haven't been left out in the cold yet, but I've seen enough stops that have no chargers working/servicing that I would give myself a few more clicks :).
I park both on my driveway and in the garage. My garage is not heated so it gets cold. Had no issues starting the car even in these temps while parked outside. However, I always recommend having the car plugged into a charger. Even a Level 1. I understand that this is not possible for everyone, but if you are able then it’s good practice to do so. I am hoping for more cold days so I can do a video about cold starting an EV as well. Then trying to charge it. As for trusting chargers, I had a backup about 10 minutes away if the one I chose didn’t work. I’ve had good luck so far with Flo.
Moved from Vancouver? This weather is wild!
Yes, we moved to Edmonton from Vancouver last year. We had a few really cold days so far, perfect for winter EV testing.
Hello from Vancouver Island. My Bolt euv doesn't have a heat pump, but the coldest we got this winter so far has been -13C. I can often get 500kms on a charge in the summer (calculated, as I don't charge to 100% or drain the battery), but at -13 it was looking like 300-ish kms. I don't go more than 100kph in the cold, no matter what the speed limit is, which isn't a problem here on the Island, where there's just a bit of 110kph hwy. BTW, I hold the charging "nozzle' into the car's charge port while the handshake happens; it may just be a superstition, but I do it anyway.
That’s very impressive summer range! I’ve not had a chance to drive any of the Bolts but they have always been on my list. Maybe one day. I hear from many people that the efficiency is quite good. As for the “nozzle” comment, I do it sometimes when the charger looks a bit ragged or if I don’t hear a satisfying click when I plug in. Thanks for watching and enjoy the “summer” weather by Alberta standards!
@@LeftCoastEV -- It's a balmy +1c today :)
Suprisingly good range on that temperature. If I recall correctly, Teslas have similar drop already in -20 °C.
Luckily the charger was not a Tesla Supercharger as those have 'California cables' that will not bend on that temperature and would start stiffening on -20 °C, already (among other issues).
I was also surprised that I managed to drive that far in such temperatures. I want to do the same test in a Tesla once temperatures drop again just to see first hand how it does.
Do the same test but going to Fort McMurray in -35C temp!
Sure...when the infrastructure of EV charging catches up in Alberta to the rest of Canada.
Kia makes really good cars, Nissan I am looking at you and your natural cool batteries. I envy the Kis brand looking at my Nissan. Really impressed with the results
Kia performed excellent at such extreme temperatures. Really a decent EV with good winter results. Thanks for watching!
200 KM with 27C heaters on, fan at 5 and winter mode on,,,and SOC 80%
We had a 1st Gen Soul EV... we were sad when Kia decided not to bring them to the US.
I still don’t understand the decision making at Kia. They didn’t think the US was a viable market for a new Soul EV? I bet you a lot of people would buy the new version.
Flow is so slow to plug in and start charging
Final number was better than 2/3 of the initial GOM value. Not bad. Also, the GOM was dropping at a fairly consistent rate, so there would be no surprise as long as one was paying attention.
My first long road trip I had a leg where I did not charge as high as I should have, and turned into the wind. However, I was watching the rate of the decrease in my buffer. This allowed a small decrease in speed to make enough impact that I did not need to drop real slow to make the next charger. Arrived at 9% which is about 30 km or so, so no drama.
I'm in my first winter with an EV, and I do not get the range I did in the summer, but it is consistent. Not as cold here are there, so only seeing a deduction in range of about 20%, and no heat pump.
I agree, the GOM was very linear even taking into account the extreme temperatures. I felt at ease driving and knew exactly how much I would have left and when to start looking for a charger. Like you said, paying attention to the car is key in such situations.
I owned a 2018 Soul EV for 5 years, 100 000 km. Incredibly cheap car to own. I switched to a used 2020 Soul EV 64 kWh Limited after that, and loved it.
The IONIQ 5 Ultimate I ordered arrived after 23 months so I switched to that since but I still miss some of the 2020 Soul EV's features. Great headlights, great sound system, a sunroof that opens! IONIQ 5 doesn't have any of those.
Enjoy the car!
Thank you! I really like the Soul EV and plan on driving it past 100k km as well.
@@LeftCoastEV Lovely car to keep this long! A Soul EV might not be the prettiest car, sure, but the space inside is incredibly well sized and super useful. Better than a Niro, for sure.
The IONIQ 5 Ultimate needs between 28 and 38 kWh/100 km in Quebec winters (the normal 0 to -20 degree C kind). We have a kind of mild winter this year, I can't tell how much worse it would be in -35 C but yeah, that Soul EV isn't bad at all!
The 2020+ Soul EV eats tires for breakfast and can need a new transmission sooner than later, but otherwise it's one of the best-kept secrets in EV Land!
I would love to do a winter test of the IONIQ 5 here in Edmonton. Would be really curious to see what kind of range it would get. Totally agree with you on the Soul EV. We’ve carried a lot of stuff in this small little car and people are always amazed how much I can fit into such a small space.
185km
Very close to this number! Actually a bit more than 185km.
heat pump efficiency at -35 does not really work unless they scavenge some heat from the battery to boost the temperature. You also really helped the car by plugging it in to start and having the battery heated up to +7C - that would have taken a ton of energy if started from cold especially since it would have had to use the resistive heater to heat cabin and battery..
This is why cars like Tesla scavenge heat from the battery thus making it more efficient during cold weather (and much warmer inside the cabin). It’s always good practice to precondition an electric car battery no matter the temperature and can be done while plugged (same as what ICE drivers do when their remote start their vehicles prior to driving to heat up the engine).
Our new EV has the 72kw useable LFP battery and it’s perfectly fine. Best car I’ve ever owned. Precondition the car before a drive. In the southeast of Alberta. Depending the outside temp 10%to20% loss is what I saw. Lowest I had was 23.7 kwh/100km. @-30c
Ice car loose range too, and I’ve seen neighbours running their car for hours keeping them warm burning gas going nowhere. And the always present condensation in the gas and tank at those temps.
Exactly. Precondition the battery while plugged in and the range will be OK even in very cold temperatures.
EXCELLENT test! You thoroughly debunked the "EVs not running in extreme cold weather" FUD! Yes, the range suffers, but otherwise, they are even more dependable than ICE cars in extreme cold weather, provided you do not let the battery go down too much in charge.
One side note: Cabin temperature was set too high. I personally never heat up to more than 20°C, which is plenty comfy enough with the seat heaters on! That would have saved you a couple of % of battery capacity.
I have a Tesla Model 3 LR and would love you to do the same test with one! I subscribed to your channel to get informed when you get that video out!
Glad you liked the video! Heating definitely plays a part in consumption especially in such extreme cold temperatures and even lowering it a degree or two would help for sure. As soon as temperatures drop again here I plan on doing a Tesla run. I have the car ready just need it to get colder. Thanks for watching and thanks for the subscription!
Why dont you at least do the speed limit 110 nobody drives 105 in Alberta
If had watched the video and listened to my explanation then you would know that the speed limit on Highway 2 is 110 and on the Henday it’s 100. To keep my speed as constant as possible I decided to drive 105.
If you live in such a cold & in populated area going to need a trailer hitch on your EV. Yep to charge the EV when battery is over 90% discharged and no where near a working public charger. I live in a big city that at least 75,000 homes do not have a driveway or garage so they could not have their own EV charger. Lucky maybe once in a blue moon to get a parking space within 50' of these row houses.
Thank for your advice.
Two hours and twenty-one minutes 'til a full battery?! 😲
My ICE car fills in three minutes, and I can use my whole tank.
Also heat is a byproduct of combustion; no steamy windows.
I'll stick with petrol. 😌
No one is telling you to buy an EV my friend...stick to dino juice if this is what works for you! Thanks for watching!
.....Also full battery power is not required most of the time while driving in the city. The final 20% of a charge takes the longest time so if not needed for the balance of the drive, omit it.
Less than 200km...lol
Thanks for watching!