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2015 Kia Soul EV production model glimpsed before Chicago

A few days before its on-stage reveal at the Chicago Auto Show, the production version of the 2015 Kia Soul EV has been spotted, tagged and bagged in this series of spy shots. On the EV captured by our photographer's lens, we can see unusual baby blue accents on top, on the mirrors and up front, as well as a closed-off "Tiger Nose" that is both taller and larger than the grille on the standard Soul. The special "Eco Electric" badge on the sides is useful for identifying the car in the picture, but we can't imagine it'll make the transition to showroom floor (at least, we hope). The Soul EV's rear side is different, too, with the bottom lights moved lower and the design of the main taillights tweaked a bit (compare our spy shots gallery to the standard model here). The wheels get a fresh five-spoke design as well. What lies under the new exterior? Some things we already know. The Soul is supposed to have a "class-leading" range of over 120 miles on a charge thanks to a 27-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion polymer battery pack. The electric motor offers 109 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque to create a 0-62 mile per hour time of under 12 seconds and a top speed of around 90 mph. What we can't see in these shots is a window sticker, but from what we've heard before, the Soul EV, "won't be priced to stimulate demand." Early predictions put the price at $35,000-$40,000 US – before government incentives – when the car launches in the US in the second half of this year. The gas-powered Soul starts at $14,400. We should learn more in Chicago later this week.

Hyundai, Kia and U of M studying 'highway hypnosis'

Next up on the hot-button list of things that can kill you behind the wheel: "highway hypnosis." That's the zombie-like, autopilot phase you get into on a long highway drive when there isn't much to distract you, like curves or traffic. Digging further into what it is and how to combat it, Hyundai-Kia engineers and the University of Michigan are commencing a study that will measure brainwave activity in order to track the body's slide into highway hypnosis.
We're not sure how much overlap this has with Mercedes-Benz's Attention Assist, which tracks more than 70 in-car parameters to determine when you're not focused on the road anymore. That system is billed as an alarm against fatigue, in our experience it does more than that - if you use your phone while driving, for instance, it will chirp.
They don't know what form a warning system will take yet, but Hyundai-Kia plans to develop a method for warning drivers when they being to zone out. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than three thousand deaths and nearly 400,000 injuries due to distracted driving in 2011.

Recharge Wrap-up: Kia Soul EV wins Canadian Green Car of the Year, Proterra logs 1 million miles

The Kia Soul EV has been awarded the inaugural Canadian Green Car of the Year Award. It beat out three other finalists - the Honda Fit, Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry Hybrid - to receive the honors at the Vancouver International Auto Show from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Before narrowing the field to the four finalists, seven eligible cars were chosen after back-to-back testing during the AJAC's "TestFest" last fall. "This acknowledgement is testimony to Kia's ongoing commitment to deliver environmentally friendly automotive solutions and diverse powertrains to consumers without compromising on design or comfort," says Kia Canada Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Maria Soklis. Read more in the press release from the AJAC. Proterra electric buses have logged a cumulative 1 million miles of revenue service. To celebrate, Proterra held a special event at its Greenville, SC plant, wherein it recognized each of its transit agency partners with an award commemorating the milestone. Proterra President and CEO Ryan Popple say Proterra and its partners "can offer the world a million proof points to bolster the fact that electric vehicles not only offer great performance, but represent the best total cost of ownership and environmental option for transit agencies." Proterra estimates its customers have saved 250,000 gallons of fuel and 3.5 million pounds of emissions over those million miles. Read more in the press release from Proterra below. EV Connect and GE are teaming up for a joint marketing and product agreement. The agreement makes GE the preferred provider of charging stations for EV Connect, giving them access to GE's WattStation and DuraStation chargers and WattStation Connect cloud-based operating platform. Of course, the agreement also makes EV Connect GE's preferred management company. "Together with EV Connect, we will be able to provide customers with an innovative, end-to-end solution capable of meeting customers' everyday EV charging station requirements," says GE's Seth Cutler. The agreement also expands the market of both companies worldwide. Read more in EV Connect's press release.