Bill Goes Electric with Tesla Model Y Despite Musk

This is a personal story about one Australian driver's switch to an electric vehicle, not a rebate or policy update, but it offers a useful look at how someone actually chooses between EV models.

Bill, 70, was driving big distances in an old diesel 4WD and decided rising fuel costs made an EV worth considering. He used ChatGPT to narrow his options based on his height, driving needs, and plans to occasionally sleep in the car at caravan parks, landing on four contenders: the Hyundai IONIQ 5, BYD Sealion 7, Tesla Model Y, and Kia EV5. He deliberately test-drove the Tesla last, hoping to avoid it because of his dislike for Elon Musk, but it won out after a test drive with the self-driving feature. Two features tipped the decision: the Model Y already has the hardware for full self-driving, in case Australia legalizes it later, and it's the only one among his finalists that records its security camera footage rather than just allowing a live view.

He put down a deposit on a red Model Y about four weeks after starting his search and is keeping his diesel 4WD for outback desert trips, expecting the new EV to take over his everyday driving and extend the old truck's life.

For homeowners weighing an EV purchase, the takeaway is less about a specific deal and more a reminder that comparing real-world features like autonomous-driving hardware and security recording can matter as much as price or brand loyalty.