Kia To Launch e-Soul In Europe This Month With Up To 280 Miles Of Range

As promised, Kia has debuted the Soul EV for Europe at the Geneva Motor Show, which will be marketed in the region as the e-Soul.

The brand’s second battery electric model in Europe will offer a driving range of up to 280 miles (452km) per the latest WLTP rules, thanks to its optional 64kWh battery pack. Kia will offer the new e-Soul with a smaller 39.2kWh battery module as standard, which comes with a driving range of 172 miles (277km) on a full charge.

Both versions of the new e-Soul will feature a lithium-ion battery pack but it’s not just the capacity that changes, it’s also the electric motor; base models will be powered by a 134hp (136PS) electric motor while the long-range version is getting a more punchy 201hp (204PS) motor. The latter can sprint from 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 7.6 seconds.

The new e-Soul is compatible with the 100kW DC fast charging process, through which it can recharge its battery packs from 20 to 80 percent in 42 minutes.

As with pretty much every purely electric vehicle in the market, the latest zero-emissions Kia employs a range of energy recuperation systems to harvest energy, including a regenerative braking system that can be adjusted via paddles on the steering and a heat pump system. There are five different levels of regenerative braking you can choose from, while the new e-Soul also offers 4 different driving modes: Normal, Eco, Eco+ and Sport.

The Koreans will launch the new e-Soul in Europe shortly after the conclusion of the Geneva Motor Show, accompanied by a seven-year, 150,000 km warranty (93,200 miles) that covers both the electric motor and the battery pack.