Kia Soul EV delay pushes the electric box to 2021 at the earliest, report says
The Soul EV won't be plugging in for a little while longer.
Everyone's favorite cutesy, boxy Kia returned for a third generation in 2018, but its all-electric compadre, the Kia Soul EV , has been missing in action. We've got bad news for those holding out for the electric car.
Green Car Reports reported on Thursday that the Soul EV has been delayed to 2021 at the earliest. Roadshow reported this past May that the car was delayed until sometime in 2020. It was meant to launch in spring of this year as a 2020 model, but here we are inching toward 2020 and with plenty of 2020-model-year cars shipping to dealers. Now, the Korean automaker has tacked another year of waiting onto the timeline. The website put a Kia representative on the record confirming the electric car will not launch this year.
Roadshow asked Kia for additional information, including if the Soul EV will still sport an EPA-estimated 243 miles of range (the EPA rated the car for the 2020 model year earlier this year), but the company didn't immediately respond.
The Soul EV will share the Niro EV's 64-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and Kia told the website that limited battery and electric motor supplies are to blame for the boxy EV's delay. The electric powertrain spins out 201 horsepower and a whopping 291 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels.
When the car finally does launch, don't expect a 50-state rollout. Instead, Kia will more than likely target markets that are most receptive to electric cars (coastal states), including California. The automaker currently sells its battery-electric cars in 13 states.
In the meantime, the standard third-generation Soul is on sale at dealers nationwide. The refined compact car boasts a new look, better tech and two engine choices: A 2.0-liter inline-four will power most Souls, while the racier 1.6-liter turbo-four adds a dash of power to this cube's equation.
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