Four Years with an Electric Genesis GV70

An Australian couple's four years with an electric Genesis GV70 offer a look at long-term ownership of a luxury electric SUV. They chose the car over a Tesla Model Y for its conventional dashboard with physical buttons, cargo space for camping gear, and long driving range. The GV70 cost AU$138,000, more than the Tesla Long Range Model Y (AU$103,000) or BMW i4 (AU$114,000), but they consider it worth the premium given features like a five-year concierge service that picks up and drops off the car for servicing.

Over 44,000 km, including two round trips to Melbourne (4,500 km each), the car averaged 19.6 kWh per 100 km. Home charging, backed by rooftop solar, cost about $410 for 36,000 km, while fast-charging on road trips added roughly $1,100. The home charger also serves the family's second EV, a Kona. The owner also has a home battery to store excess solar power once his utility's payment for exported solar dropped to just 2 cents per kWh.

For homeowners weighing an EV purchase, the story underscores a few practical points: charging at home with solar can make daily driving very cheap, fast public chargers keep improving for longer trips, and pairing an EV with home solar and battery storage can make sense once compensation for exported power drops. The couple sees no future for gasoline cars in their own household.