The Zero Emission Kia Soul Receives Certification For Its Whole-life Environmental Credentials

Kia has proudly announced that their all-electric Soul EV has become the latest car in their line-up to receive certification for its whole-life environmental credentials.

Technical inspection specialists, TUV Nord, used the ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) standard to certify the EV.

What is measured in the certification is the environmental impact of the vehicles, as well as the manufacturing process throughout its whole life.

That means taking a look at such things as production materials, recycling efforts, and emissions.

Soul Diesel vs. EV Model

The Soul EV did well when compared to its European diesel counterpart, particularly in the area of “Global Warming Potential.”

All told, the EV emitted 37% few greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) over the course of its whole life.

It also performed well in the “Photochemical Oxidant Creation Potential” test, which basically measures that amount of smog that the car will potentially deliver over the course of its life.

This isn’t the first TUV Nord certification received by Kia, with the cee’d being the first to receive that honor back in 2008.

All told, Kia now has a total of 11 vehicles with the ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) certification.

Kia is proactive in their efforts to make cars that are environmentally friendly and which leave a relatively small carbon footprint. Since 2006, Kia has produced car that are mindful of the LCA standards.

The process used to do this is broken down into 5 steps:

• Using a check-sheet that allows for the vehicle to be environmentally evaluated during its lifecycle
• A 3D drawing process during design to verify recyclability
• A complete physical analysis of the vehicle during the production process to verify recyclability
• The employment of eco-friendly materials
• A simplification and streamlining of the total production process in both construction and use of materials

The current ISO 14040-certification is for the Korean and European versions of the EV, with North American certification expected in August.

Kia already announced in the early part of the year that they plan on having ISO 50001 certification across all of their global production plants.

That means moved to make each plant energy efficient. The Gwangju plan has already received the certification, with more to follow soon.