Edmonton man sees how far he can drive his Kia Soul electric car using only free EV charging
Published on Jul 27, 2025 at 2:28 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 24, 2025 at 3:24 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The Canadian owner of a Kia Soul EV set himself a challenge to see how far he could drive using only free EV charging points.
The Kia Soul EV launched in 2014 and is based on the gas-powered Kia Soul.
The car has an estimated range of 243 miles (391km).
But how far can it actually take you when relying solely on free EV charging points?
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How far did he get using nothing but free EV charging points?
EV charging infrastructure has come a long way in a short space of time.
Across the US, the Tesla network of Superchargers is growing rapidly, and over in China, BYD has created a five-minute charger.
But when it comes to free EV charging points, you might find them a lot less common.
Nonetheless, YouTuber Left Coast EV decided to see how far he could take his Kia Soul EV using nothing but freebie chargers.
He set off from Leduc in Alberta, Canada, heading towards Calgary, with an ambitious goal of eventually hitting Vancouver.
But was immediately hit with a bit of a downside after realizing all the free EV chargers were Level 2, meaning he’d be averaging around 6kW of charging speed per hour.
So, how did he get on?
After setting off, he stopped for his first charge in Olds, Alberta, where he was able to plug into a free EV charging point with no issues and charge his car from 35 percent to 50 percent in a couple of hours.
He was then ready to hit the road and head towards Calgary, where he found another free EV charging point.
He arrived at the charger with 23 percent and spent around four and a half hours there to get his Kia Soul EV back up to 60 percent.
That gave him enough range to make it to Banff in Alberta, where he found his third free EV charging spot when Kia Soul EV was on just 14 percent.
He spent around seven hours charging the car, getting it up to 60 percent or so before setting off to Golden, British Columbia.
However, it turned out that Golden would be the end of the road for the Kia Soul EV.
The area had very few free charging points, putting an end to the challenge.
But it was still an impressive road trip.
In total, he traveled 341 miles (548.9km) and the whole journey took him 22 hours, four minutes, and 57 seconds.
Finding free charging points for your EV
If you’re an EV owner who fancies having a go at a challenge like this yourself, or you just want to save a few pennies, there’s are plenty of free EV charging points out there.
They’re often found in car parks at malls and on retail parks, as well as at some tourist spots like national parks, museums and libraries.
There’s even a handy app called PlugShare where you can filter charging stations to find which ones won’t cost a thing.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
