CleanTechies
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Clean Transportation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Green Building
    • Renewable Energy
    • Recycling & Waste
    • Water & Conservation
  • Contact
    • Editorial
      • General Inquiries
      • Article Submission
    • Advertising
      • Advertising & Sponsorship
      • Guidelines
      • Media Kit
  • Are you a CleanTechie?

CleanTechies

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Clean Transportation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Green Building
    • Renewable Energy
    • Recycling & Waste
    • Water & Conservation
  • Contact
    • Editorial
      • General Inquiries
      • Article Submission
    • Advertising
      • Advertising & Sponsorship
      • Guidelines
      • Media Kit
  • Are you a CleanTechie?
Tag:

Battery

Kia Electrifies Popular Soul Hatchback

Kia Electrifies Popular Soul Hatchback

written by CleanTechies.com Contributor

At the recent 2014 Chicago Auto Show, Kia unveiled its first electric vehicle destined for the United States. The 2015 Kia Soul EV is based on one of Kia’s signature models, the funky and sporty Kia Soul hatchback, which has won a fast cult following among consumers since its introduction to the American market four years ago. Despite its compact dimensions and bold styling, the Soul has become one of Kia’s most popular vehicles in recent years.

With a somewhat larger-than-average 27-kilowatt-hour battery pack, the Soul EV should surpass the driving ranges of other recently introduced compact EVs on the market like the Honda Fit EV (82 miles), the Chevy Spark EV (82 miles), Smart ED (84 miles) and Fiat 500e (87 miles). Kia says the “optimal” range for the Soul EV is roughly 124 miles, but in everyday conditions the Soul will likely receive an EPA rating closer to about 90 miles of range.

The car will provide 109 horsepower and a top speed of 90 mph. Charging will take about five hours using a standard home charging station, but with its fast-charging capability the Soul EV should be able to reach an 80-percent charge level in roughly a half hour at special public charging stations.

The Soul’s built-in popularity among urban drivers both young and old could be its greatest advantage. The hatchback was introduced to the U.S. four years ago in a series of commercials featuring a crew of stylish hamsters cruising down urban thoroughfares blasting music from hip, contemporary artists. The ads won multiple awards and contributed to building the Soul’s image as a fun, cool and urban-friendly vehicle.

The Soul received a full revamping for 2014, modernizing its already unique boxy styling and adding more high-quality materials and roominess to the interior. Many critics noted the surprising amount of cargo space the Soul offers compared to other compacts, as well as an impressive cadre of standard features.

The Soul EV will receive its own styling flourishes, including a solid grill (which opens to reveal the car’s EV charge port) and sleek aerodynamic wheels.

So how many fans will end up taking the plunge into an electric vehicle for the first time because it’s a Soul? The answer will be based on how many of the vehicles Kia makes—the company hasn’t announced planned production figures for the car. Pricing is also yet to be announced, but leases for other limited-production small EVs have recently been slashed to as low as $200 per month.

Beginning this fall, the small plug-in hatchback will become available to drivers in five states: California, New York, New Jersey, Oregon and Maryland.

Article by Brad Berman, appearing courtesy ebay Green Driving.



March 3, 2014 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Buses Seem BYD’s Electric Vehicle Future, in China and Worldwide

written by CleanTechies.com Contributor

If you wonder what BYD is up to lately outside of China, electric buses seem to be the Chinese automaker’s thing these days. It is also still hawking its much-maligned e6 pure electric crossover vehicle as a taxi. Development of the dual-mode Qin (the current generation of BYD’s hybrid) seems to be treading water, however. Perhaps BYD, like most

Continue Reading


September 9, 2013 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

A New Era in Transportation? The Buzz Around Phinergy

written by Walter Wang

The worldwide buzz around the revolutionary aluminum-air battery of the Israeli-based technology company Phinergy is reaching new peaks. Even president Obama had the chance to view the technology during his visit to Israel.

Phinergy has created a car battery that powers an

Continue Reading


April 10, 2013 2 comments
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Look, Up in the Sky! It’s a Bird! It’s a Superhero! No, It’s a Solar Powered Airplane!

written by Walter Wang

Very few people ever considered the possibility of a plane being completely reliant on solar energy. Such a plane would remove the need for tons of oil, and it would heavily reduce the amount of air pollution caused by planes. Solar Impulse recently made a plane that only used solar panels. It doesn’t have any oil, and it flies surprisingly well. Two pilots recently tested the plane

Continue Reading


August 14, 2012 1 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Rice University Researchers Create a Paintable Battery

written by Walter Wang

Battery technology keeps improving in terms of density and storage, but how about changing the very form in it which a battery is presented? This is what researchers at Rice University in Texas have done with the creation of a paintable battery solution that reinvents the whole concept.

Continue Reading


July 2, 2012 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Enterprise Is Shopping for Electric Vehicles

written by Walter Wang

At this week’s Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Conference I had a wonderful conversation with a senior player at Enterprise Holdings, the parent company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I began by validating him for coming to a show like this; to me it shows, at a minimum, a kind of progressive, forward-thinking approach to the business.

Continue Reading


April 20, 2012 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Enzyme Battery a Game Changer?

written by Walter Wang

New research at Concordia University is bringing the world one step closer to cleaner energy. It is now possible to extend the length of time a battery like enzyme can store energy from seconds to hours, as shown in a study published in the Journal of The American Chemical Society. Concordia Associate Professor László Kálmán — along with his colleagues

Continue Reading


April 20, 2012 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Talking About Storage for Renewable Energy

written by Walter Wang

Efficient energy storage is key because we need to be able to access power when the sun is not out and the wind is not blowing.

A recent TED talk delved into this subject. The lecture was delivered by MIT’s Donald Sadoway, who explains in plain English how large-scale batteries that store renewable energy work.

Continue Reading


March 28, 2012 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Charge Electric Devices With Solar Power

written by Walter Wang

You may not have solar photovoltaic panels on your rooftop, but you can enjoy the benefits of solar power in several other ways. One of them is the FreeLoader Pro, a solar charger that powers most electrical devices, from the comfort of your home or during a expedition in the jungles of Africa.

It uses high power solar panels or USB (cable

Continue Reading


January 30, 2012 1 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Small, Portable Solar Light

written by Walter Wang

There are many solar energy gadgets out there, but some of them seem to stand out. Take the LightShip, for example. It is a practical, portable solar light that could be the clean energy answer to campers, boats, cabins and emergency use. I particularly like the fact that it features three suction cups so that you can attach it to any smooth surface!

Continue Reading


January 24, 2012 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Inductive Charging Offers Advantages in Electric Transportation

written by Walter Wang

I’ve been lucky enough to derive so much pleasure from business travel – and to conduct so much business during personal trips — that I long ago ceased to try to separate the two.

Case in point: this trip back East for Christmas, where I carved out an hour and a half to meet with

Continue Reading


December 28, 2011 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Better Fuel Economy Through Better Transmissions

written by Walter Wang

Arguably, the most complicated piece of machinery in the automotive world is a transmission. Transmissions transmit the power from the motor to the wheels in a way that prevents the engine from damaging itself while maximizing the power of the engine. Some battery electric vehicles may be able

Continue Reading


September 9, 2011 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Move Over Saudi Arabia. Here Comes Nash and His Dad!

written by Walter Wang

As a parent, I don’t expect world changing results when I gripe at my kids. I’m happy if they at least leave a path through the dirty clothes on their bedroom floors.

If you’re like that too, you’ll be a little sheepish when you hear the story of inventor and journalist Pierce Hoover. His 13-year-old son, Nash, kept forgetting to

Continue Reading


June 2, 2011 1 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

New Battery Uses Seawater and Freshwater to Produce Electricity

written by Yale Environment 360

Stanford University researchers have designed a rechargeable battery that uses the contrast in salinity between freshwater and seawater to produce an electric current, an innovation they say

Continue Reading


March 31, 2011 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Newer Posts
Older Posts

CleanTechnica.TV

Listen to CleanTech Talk

CleanTech Talk

Free CleanTechnica Newsletters

CleanTechnica's main newsletter (daily)

CleanTechnica's EV newsletter

CleanTechnica's wind newsletter

CleanTechnica's solar newsletter

CleanTechnica's weekly newsletter

Support Our Work

CleanTechnica Clothing & Cups

Recent CleanTechie Bios

Amy McMorrow Hunter

Keith Allen

Tom Scheel

Patrick Corcoran

Christine Bennett

Mike Casey

Henk Rogers

JB Straubel

Lynn Jurich

Matt Moroney

Kyle Field

Paul Francis

Chelsea Harder

Griff Jurgens

Scott Cooney

The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of CleanTechnica, its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.


Back To Top