How to save cash with EV charger subscriptions

AutoElectric VehiclesHow to save cash with EV charger subscriptionsMonth four with the Genesis GV60: 600 festive miles and the EV charge network didn’t skip a beatWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Month four with the Genesis GV60: 600 festive miles and the EV charge network didn’t skip a beat

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)

Genesis GV60 at EV charger

(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)

Month four of our half-year with the Genesis GV60 was always going to present its toughest test. December packs the challenges for even thebest EVs, with cold weather, a lot of festive miles carrying people, presents and trees – and, of course, a heavy reliance on the UK public charging network.

I’m pleased to report that almost all went smoothly. The GV60 Sport Plus has a real-world range of about 220 miles when driven predominantly on the motorway, and since I’d be doing around 600 motorway miles in December, I’d need to use a few public charge stations.

EV energy subscriptions also simplify the payment process, since a single subscription (and a single app) can give you access to a wide range of charge networks, with no need to download an app for each one.

This MFG charger is part of the OVO network(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)

Genesis GV60 using MFG car charger

This MFG charger is part of the OVO network

(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)

Using the Genesis GV60 as an example, it would cost about £45 to fill the battery to 80% on a charger priced at £0.75 per kWh. Apply the 15% saving and that falls to £38.25 – a saving of £6.75. After a second, much smaller charge, you will have earned back the £8 subscription.

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I used the OVO app to charge the Genesis GV60 over Christmas, covering about 600 miles across the country and using a couple of different charge networks. Apps like these are handy, since you only need one app and one account to access multiple charge networks. That said, there is a cost for this convenience; using Ionity as an example, OVO’s subscription lowers the price to £0.63 per kWh, but Ionity’s own £5.49 subscription reduces it to £0.53.

For me, I think I’d rather pay for the convenience of using one app and unlocking a discounted rate across numerous charge networks. But if you tend to visit the same charge station (or brand of stations) frequently, a subscription for that one provider could be the better option.

December with the Genesis GV60

As for the GV60 itself, it proved to be a refined and comfortable Christmas cruiser. Passengers praised the comfort and space of the rear seats, as well as the light from the (optional) panoramic glass roof, and everyone liked the (also optional) Bang & Olufsen sound system.

I learned how preconditioning the battery is vital when you want a speedy recharge. This only happens when you use the car’s own navigation system to drive to a charge station, which warms the battery as you approach and means it’ll fill quickly, easily passing 150 kW seconds after plugging in. However, if you useGoogle MapsthroughAppleCarPlay, for example, the battery doesn’t pre-condition and it’ll charge at below 50 kW for about 10 minutes, before speeding up.

I wish there was a simple button to press to manually start the pre-conditioning process, since I prefer using CarPlay to the Genesis' own nav system.

The GV60 performed all of its Christmas duties without a hitch(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)

Genesis GV60

The GV60 performed all of its Christmas duties without a hitch

(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)

Long journeys are perfectly possible in the GV60, but the motorway range (on a mild winter day) is only about 200 miles, so you need to plan accordingly. More range would be welcome, given the size of the car and its 77.4 kWh battery, but at least its ability to rapid-charge at up to about 230 kW helps combat this shortcoming.

The charge network itself handled 600 Christmas miles without a hitch. I used a variety of high-speed charge stations and low-speed lamppost chargers, and all of them worked first time. Only once did I have to queue, which was at a Fuuse charge station for about 10 minutes.

Buyers of cars from brands that use shopping centre ‘spaces’ instead of traditional showrooms and dealerships, as Genesis does, should understand that, while the company might not have a dealer in your local town, it’ll bring a courtesy car to you, collect yours, then return it as soon as possible. It’s a system that appears to work well.

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