2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car: Chicago Auto Show Live Photos

Yes, they're still selling these things with hamsters.

If you can get over the rodent-based adverts, Kia's new electric Soul, the 2015 Soul EV, is quite an interesting vehicle, and it's the first electric car sold by Kia in the U.S.

It's making its debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, and gives buyers yet another body style for their electric needs, the Soul's boxy body hiding useful interior space and an upright driving position not found in many other electric vehicles.

An 81 kilowatt (109 horsepower) liquid-cooled electric motor powers the front wheels. It also develops a healthy 210 pounds-feet of torque, and the 0-60 mph acceleration benchmark is accomplished in "under 12 seconds".

Juice comes from an air-cooled 27 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Like most electric vehicles, it lies flat under the car's floor, leaving the passenger compartment and the trunk relatively unobstructed--legroom has decreased a little next to other Souls.

MORE: 2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car Unveiled At Chicago Auto Show