2015 KIA Soul EV service

459
Features of your vehicle
Warning lights
✽
✽NOTICE - Warning lights
Make sure that all warning lights
are OFF after starting the vehicle. If
any light is still ON, this indicates a
situation that needs attention.
Service warning light
This warning light illuminates :
Once you set the POWER button
to the ON position.
- It illuminates for approximately 3seconds
There is a failure with a sensor, actuator, or the electric compres-
sor for the air conditioner related to
the electric vehicle control system.
When the warning light turns ON
while driving, or does not turn OFF
after vehicle has started, have your
vehicle inspected by an authorized
Kia dealer.
Power down warning
light
This warning light illuminates :
When the power is limited for the safety of the electric vehicle.
- When the high voltage batterylevel is below a certain threshold,
the voltage is decreasing, the
temperature of the motor or driv-
ing battery is too high or too low,
there is a failure in the cooling
system, or a failure that is dis-
rupting normal driving.
WARNING AND INDICATOR LIGHTS

4101
Features of your vehicle
Checking the amount of air
conditioner refrigerant and
compressor lubricant
When the amount of refrigerant is
low, the performance of the air con-
ditioning is reduced. Overfilling also
has a negative impact on the air con-
ditioning system.
(Heater performance as well as air
conditioner performance can be
deteriorated on the vehicle that is
equipped with a heat pump.)
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by
an authorized Kia dealer.
WARNING
The air conditioning system for
the Electric Vehicle (EV) should
be serviced by an authorized
Kia dealer. The Electric Vehicle
(EV) air conditioning system is
connected to the high voltage
system and requires special flu-
ids, tools and service proce-
dures. Improperly servicing the
Electric Vehicle (EV) air condi-
tioning system could result in
electrical shock, serious injury,
or even death.
WARNING
The oil and refrigerant in your
vehicle's air conditioning sys-
tem is under very high pres-
sure. If proper service proce-
dures are not followed an explo-
sion may result. To reduce the
risk of serious injury or death,
the air conditioning system in
your vehicle should only be
serviced by trained and certi-
fied technicians.
CAUTION
It is important that the correcttype and amount of oil andrefrigerant is used, otherwisedamage to the vehicle and injurymay occur. To prevent damage,the air conditioning system inyour vehicle should only beserviced by trained and certifiedtechnicians.

Driving your vehicle
12
5
Reduction gear operation
When stopped on an incline, do not
hold the vehicle with the motor
power. Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the POWER button is in the
ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park). This
position locks the gear and prevents
the drive wheels from rotating.
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-
cle is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you
to lose control of the vehicle.
WARNING- Leaving the
vehicle
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the vehicle off. Do not use
the P position in place of the
parking brake. Always make
sure the shift lever is latched in
the P position and set the park-
ing brake fully. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are
not followed.
CAUTION- Reduction gear
To avoid damage to your reduc-tion gear, do not accelerate thevehicle in R (Reverse) or anyforward gear position with thebrakes on. The reduction gearmay be damaged if you shiftinto P (Park) while the vehicle isin motion.

513
Driving your vehicle
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.N (Neutral)
The wheels and gear are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The gear will automatically
shift providing the best energy econ-
omy and power.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive).
B (Regenerative brake): maximum
regenerative braking mode
Use it when you desire to use regen-
erative braking.
It is useful when you drive on a long
downhill on a highway, mountain
trails, or a slope.
❈ If you use regenerative braking,
you can achieve the same effect
as engine brake of a combustion
engine.
CAUTION- Shifting
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage thegear if you shift into R (Reverse)while the vehicle is in motion,except when “Rocking the vehi-cle” explained in this section.

515
Driving your vehicle
Good driving practices
Never move the gear shift leverfrom P (Park) to any other position
with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the gear shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower
gear may not be engaged.
Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the shift
lever in P (Park) to keep the vehicle
from moving.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, shift the shift lever to D
(Drive). Select the appropriate gear
depending on load weight and steep-
ness of the grade, and release the
parking brake. Depress the accelera-
tor gradually while releasing the
service brakes.

517
Driving your vehicle
In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
make an emergency stop with the
parking brake. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
Disc brakes wear indicator
When your brake pads are worn and
new pads are required, you will hear
a high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes. You
may hear this sound come and go or
it may occur whenever you depress
the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.
Always replace the front or rear
brake pads as pairs.
WARNING- Parkingbrake
Applying the parking brake
while the vehicle is moving at
normal speeds can cause a
sudden loss of control of the
vehicle. If you must use the
parking brake to stop the vehi-
cle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.
WARNING- Brake wear
Avoid applying the parking
brake to stop the vehicle while it
is moving except in an emer-
gency situation. If you ignore
this audible warning, you will
eventually lose braking per-
formance, which could lead to a
serious accident.

537
Driving your vehicle
Your vehicle's energy economy
depends mainly on your style of driv-
ing, where you drive and when you
drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many miles (kilometers) you can get
from a capacity (kwh) of battery. To
operate your vehicle as economical-
ly as possible, use the following driv-
ing suggestions to help save money
in both energy and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at amoderate rate. Don't make "jack-
rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts
and maintain a steady cruising
speed. Don't race between stop-
lights. Try to adjust your speed to
the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos-
sible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you
can avoid unnecessary braking.
This also reduces brake wear. Drive at a moderate speed. The
faster you drive, the more energy
your vehicle uses. Driving at a
moderate speed, especially on the
highway, is one of the most effec-
tive ways to reduce energy con-
sumption.
Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This can increase energy consumption
and also increase wear on these
components. In addition, driving
with your foot resting on the brake
pedal may cause the brakes to
overheat, which reduces their
effectiveness and may lead to
more serious consequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pres-
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unnec-
essary tire wear. Check the tire
pressures at least once a month. Be sure that the wheels are
aligned correctly. Improper align-
ment can result from hitting curbs
or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes
faster tire wear and may also result
in other problems as well as
greater energy consumption.
Keep your vehicle in good condi- tion. For better energy economy
and reduced maintenance costs,
maintain your vehicle in accor-
dance with the maintenance
schedule in section 7. If you drive
your vehicle in severe conditions,
more frequent maintenance is
required (see section 7 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maxi- mum service, your vehicle should
be kept clean and free of corrosive
materials. It is especially important
that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the
underside of the vehicle. This extra
weight can result in increased
energy consumption and also con-
tribute to corrosion.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION

545
Driving your vehicle
Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high qual-
ity ethylene glycol coolant in the cool-
ing system. It is the only type of coolant
that should be used because it helps
prevent corrosion in the cooling sys-
tem, lubricates the water pump and
prevents freezing. Be sure to replace
or replenish your coolant in accor-
dance with the maintenance schedule
in section 7. Before winter, have your
coolant tested to assure that its freez-
ing point is sufficient for the tempera-
tures anticipated during the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on the
battery system. Visually inspect the
battery and cables as described in
section 7. The level of charge in your
battery can be checked by an author-
ized Kia dealer or a service station.
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing,
squirt an approved de-icer fluid or
glycerine into the key opening. If a
lock is covered with ice, squirt it with
an approved de-icing fluid to remove
the ice. If the lock is frozen internally,
you may be able to thaw it out by
using a heated key. Handle the heat-
ed key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window
washer system from freezing, add an
approved window washer anti-freeze
solution in accordance with instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use coolant or
other types of anti-freeze as these
may damage the paint finish.