2015 Kia Soul EV Spotted Testing In California, Testing (CHAdeMO) Rapid Charge Technology

I wish the Midwest would start putting in charging stations like Cali. our gas here is $4/gal oh sorry $3.99 9/10's

 

0 to 80% charge ?? who does that ... the lowest I've gone towards empty while on the road is maybe 30%. I figure with some of the QC'S being less reliable than I'd hope & pray ... I better have enough juice to get somewhere else. And ... to keep charge heat down, I never go above 68% ish on a refill. That's a big time savings. Takes about 10 minutes to just grab the middle 30% of the recharge. Once you get near full, the charge/power drops significantly. And, 10 minutes of charge prices are a lot less then 30 minutes. Usuelly costs about $2.
Anyway - $4.10 for regular here. Chademo users? WHOOAHH . . . Kia/Hyundai just became my good friends
This makes up for them gaming their EPA #'s on their hybrid, in my book.
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Kia/Hyundai got lawsiuts over MPG and the window stickers, now Ford not hitting there numbers either on the cars seems as it is not beening talked about in the media like KIA,

 

We wish PiP owners can benefit with the ChaDemo fast DCcharger

 

Because Kia got caught for running the tests wrong by the EPA and fined. The EPA has looked at Ford's results, and apparently hasn't found anything illegal. It seems Ford stayed within the letter of the law. Perhaps we'll see further changes for hybrid testing for EPA because of it. Like with the complaints against the gen2 Prius EPA numbers did.

 

Korea is one of the CHadeMO countries. The rumors are that when this kia is actualualy sold in the US will have the SAE combo plug. Then again rumors are often false, maybe they will stick with it.

IIRC the spark is the only combo plug in the US right now, but the bmw i3 has one and will be selling soon.

The short term winner in the L3 plug wars is tesla. They can charge at any of them, but actually have a network crossing the country that only works with the tesla plug. Perhaps that's the one the SAE should have adoptend.

Let's say the 2014 leaf range is 84 miles (epa), and you let it go down to 25% which seems a reasonable 21 to limp to a plug except in bad weather. It seems that you should be able to add 25%-80%, or 46 miles in less than 20 minutes? But that is the problem. I would think you would want a bigger battery so you didn't have to stop every 50 miles.

I expect that new non-tesla L3 will have chademo and comboplug for the next few years, unless Nissan installs them. After that I would think chademo will fade, unless they upgrade it to go at the higher rates of comboplug. Bigger batteries are comeing, and charging rate of chademo is slower than comboplug.

 

Iduno either, but the posted article (stating it goes on sale later this year) says it'll have chademo format QC. Toyota is a chademo member too ... one of the 1st. In fact some of my posted pics are of one of the Gen1 EV Rav4's in Japan, utilizing chademo's format, circa early 2000's.
In the same speculation vein, It'll be a pity if this Kia's 27kWh is really just 22kW-23kW usable .... ie the same BS/technically legal spin advertising that Leaf owners were originally snookered with.
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Seen at the Chicago Auto Show:

Source: Electric Kia Soul EV and Kia Niro hybrid concept photos and info from the Chicago Auto Show - Autoweek

 

those are some ugly cars.

 

Tesla already has an adapter for Chademo:




Tesla Releases a CHAdeMO Adapter for their Model S Electric Vehicle | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

.... so it won't be long until they have the reverse, i'm thinking/hoping. That'd REALLY be an improvement for chademo users ... as that'd mean chademo folks could hook up to the already in place tesla network!
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How many Chademo users are going to be willing to pay $2500 for an adapter? That is what Tesla charges to activate Supercharger access on an already sold S. Only $2000 if opted for at time of car purchase. Superchargers really aren't free.

 

+1

CHAdeMO DC Fast Charger Rollout – 248 Added in US in Last 5 Months – 3,523 Chargers Worldwide
I didn't realize ChAdeMo had installed so many chargers recently. I guess losing the standards battle for SAE means that you actually pay something to get the plug installed. I know its backward, but somehow the SAE decission accelerated growth.


eVgo Opens 13 Public Charging Stations in California, and Counting | PluginCars.com
NRG says they will have 200 combo-plug evgo stations in california by 2016. It looks like many of these will also have ChAdeMO. Which means if all carry the 3 plugs there will be anouther 187 ChAdeMo in california (those covere in the lawsuit, that NRG wanted to build anyway) alone, not to mention the ones they are building in Texas and Illonois. I'm curious to see how many use them as quick chargers by an extra $3 for 30 minutes quick charge doesn't seem very high.

I don't know about the reverse. It would require nissan to negotiate with tesla and pay them fees, as tesla doesn't charge. I don't see Nissan doing that, but building a competing network. Partnering with NRG and other utilities may be the fastest way for build out. Who knows mercedes might join in the tesla network. I'm sure tesla would, if Nissan gave them enough cash, put in chademo plugs and track nissan charging. It would allow them to build out the network less expensively to be ready for blue star if Nissan helped fund it. I doubt Nissan wants to pay musk what he will want, so we have 3 competing standards, as no car maker, american or european wanted to pay Nissan for their chademo. There are rumors of mercedes, gm, and ford interest in the supercharger network.

I'm really interested in hearing how the fuel cell lobby is going to handle there bullet point that building out hydrogen infrastructure is less expensive than electric when by 2017, at least teslas will have over 1000 quick chargers in the country, over 10,000 L2, and hundreds of millions of other outlets they can charge from. Fuel cell lobby will still have faster refueling if you happen to be exaclty near one of the promised 40 hydrogen stations. But really they need to drop more efficient, and less expensive to build infrastructure from their points, it has been proven wrong that "big oil" wants to pay for the infrastructure. I think that is why hyundai/kia is finally getting in the plug-in game, even with a compliance car. The idea that fcv were a better medium term investment seems like it may be turning sour for hyundai.

 

agreed!

 

Kia Expands Soul EV Availability To Additional U.S. States

"Kia is expanding Soul EV availability to five additional U.S. state, starting with Georgia in Q2. Following the release in Georgia, the Kia Soul EV will become available (Kia says by June) in Oregon, Washington, Texas and Hawaii."

 

I test drove this one a few weeks ago. It wasn't too shabby at all - power wise or roominess for my 6' 5" frame. Ugly? Not after you've owned the a leaf.

 

Georgia and Texas! Yee Haa! I think this brings the kia out of compliance car territory, as they are moving it to non-Carb states. Selling it where kia thinks the market is best, not where they can get compliance credits.