The fourth of our five nominees for Green Car Reports' 2015 Best Car To Buy award is the new 2015 Kia Soul EV.

It's the Korean maker's first-ever electric car sold in the U.S., and an adaptation of the popular compact "tall wagon" that was entirely redesigned for the 2014 model year.

DON'T MISS: Green Car Reports' 2015 Best Car To Buy: The Nominees (Video)

With a lithium-ion battery pack slightly larger than the 23 or 24 kilowatt-hours used by most compact battery-electric vehicles, the Soul EV earns a rated range of 93 miles from its 27 kWh.

That's toward the top of the range, especially for electric cars under $40,000.

2015 Kia Soul EV enters production

The electric traction motor that powers its front wheels is rated at 81 kilowatts (109 horsepower) and produces 210 pound-feet of torque. Kia quotes acceleration from 0 to 60 mph of less than 12 seconds--hardly Tesla-level acceleration--while the top speed is limited to 90 mph.

The Soul EV carries a base price of $34,500, with a Plus trim level that adds leather seats with heating and ventilation for the driver and front passenger, projection-style fog lamps, and power-folding exterior mirrors, among other features.

ALSO SEE: Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Oct: Nissan Leaf Sets Record

The Kia Soul EV base model includes navigation, a rearview camera, and UVO EV Services, which let owners to monitor the battery's state of charge and find nearby charging stations, as well as use a smartphone app to preset charging times remotely.

Lease rates on the 2015 Kia Soul EV start at $249 a month for 36 months, with $1,999 due at signing, for the base model.

Note that the $249 monthly lease rate includes the $7,500 Federal tax credit, lowering the cost. (Buyers or lessees are still responsible for applying to receive a California purchase rebate of $2,500 on their own, however.)

2015 Kia Soul EV enters production

We'll have a full drive report on the Soul EV shortly. Our editor Bengt Halvorson spent more than a week with the electric car, using it in a variety of circumstances in and around Portland, Oregon.

The Soul EV, incidentally, is the sole non-Japanese electric car to offer a CHAdeMO DC quick-charging port, which is fitted as standard equipment to every electric Soul sold in the U.S.

MORE: 2015 Kia Soul EV: Animals, Electrons, Maroon 5 (Video)

That enables the car to recharge to 80 percent of battery capacity in 30 minutes or less at more than 500 CHAdeMO quick-charging stations nationwide--including a number on the Electric Highway that connects Oregon and Washington states.

The first 2015 Kia Soul EV was sold earlier this month in California.

_______________________________________________

Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.