As Storm Darragh made its way across the UK, thoughts of doing daft things with a Christmas tree were surprisingly fresh in my mind. The Genesis GV60 I’ve got for a few months has an interesting option — a special adaptor that plugs into the charge port and turns the car into a mobile power station. With a three-pin socket, you can plug in all manner of devices and power them for hours.
Long Term Test Month 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Using a small Christmas tree to demonstrate the system, as you can see in the photos here, is charming enough, but the real value of this feature became clear when the village I live in was plunged into darkness during a power cut.
While many around the country struggled with far worse, our outage wasn’t particularly serious. We weren’t in danger; we were just bored. Running an extension cable from the Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) device plugged into the GV60 allowed us to power some lights, the kettle, and the TV. Our neighbours looked on with jealousy, wondering how we had the only house with power. Despite the car being low on charge at the time, I reckon it could have kept us going for a couple of days if needed.
The price of this comfort? A rather steep £880. Given that, there’s every chance you’ll pass over the device when perusing the options list. Perhaps pause and give it a second thought.
Deck the Car with Trees and Needles
Perhaps also give a second thought to transporting a real Christmas tree in the back of a GV60. It’s a surprisingly large car — slightly longer and much wider than a Nissan Qashqai — with a very long wheelbase that creates a lot of room inside the vehicle. The rear seats fold 60/40, leaving plenty of room for a six-foot tree while still retaining a spare seat if needed.
Sliding the tree in was straightforward, but the needles? They ended up everywhere. Despite securing the tree snugly in the back, I found needles on the front seat, in the cupholder, and, I suspect, in places I haven’t discovered yet. My Eufy robot vacuum doesn’t stand a chance, though a Dyson V8 managed to get most of it — once I found them all.
Ok, this isn’t a Genesis-specific problem, so consider this a general PSA for anyone thinking about transporting a Christmas tree.
Even after 1,164 miles in the car this month, I’m still finding needles. Those miles have been very comfortable, though. As the winter weather closed in, the ability to pre-heat the car using the Genesis app is a nice touch, and even if I forget, a heat pump gets things warning up quickly. Add a heated steering wheel, and it’s cosier in the car than in my own home.
Cold Weather, Hot Charging
The temperature drop has dented the GV60’s efficiency a little, with its average now dropping to 3.0 miles per kWh — the equivalent of a 219-mile range from a full charge. On the bright side, the car charges exceptionally quickly.
At Rugby Services, the Gridserve
chargers promise speeds of up to 360kW, and the GV60 can take up to 350kW. Real-world speeds were lower; I saw 180kW during my stop, but it only took three or four minutes to get enough charge to be confident of making it home. That’s not even enough time to get a coffee.
And, if you’re lucky enough to have a home charger, that’s the reality of charging when you’re out and about. Only occasionally do I need to find a rapid charger, the 200 or so miles I get from the Genesis being good enough to cover the vast majority of journeys. Even when I need a little help, a few minutes is all that’s required before I get on my way again.
Some were using the chargers to fully charge their car — an expensive option unless you’ve got a company expense account — but as I unplugged the GV60, I take a look at the driver next to me. He’s just the same. I battle my way through junction one of the M6. It’s top-to-toe in tailbacks, I got red lights all around, but soon there’ll be a freeway. I’m driving home for Christmas.
He is the founder of Huff Media, publisher of Professional Pickup, Professional Van, Average Janes, Average Joes, and CALIBRE. His work focuses primarily on light commercial vehicles, pickups, and real-world vehicle use, with much of his time spent on manufacturer launches, industry events, and long-term vehicle testing.