Aberdeen Service Centre Coming Soon

[jsteele]

I was chatting with a Tesla tech last week who told me a Service Centre should be coming to Aberdeen soon, hopefully opening around April/May this year. Backing this up I also came across this article online Standalone EV service centre for Aberdeen

Good news for any owners or future owners in the North East of Scotland!

 

[seadog]

I spoke to Edinburgh on Saturday about a viewing / test drive and was told the same thing, they are currently recruiting for Aberdeen. Great news for me, hopefully don't need it much but it gives nice piece of mind knowing if something goes wrong it doesn't mean a 320 mile round trip to Edinburgh.

 

[Rob R]

Still no superchargers in the northeast though. Dundee, then nothing!

 

[jsteele]

Still no superchargers in the northeast though. Dundee, then nothing!

Apparently on that front there are plans in the works for superchargers in Aberdeen, Inverness, and Fort William... no idea on timing though...

 

[cezdoc]

If you search the Aberdeen City planning permission website it's possible to find plans of the proposed service centre layout (complete with Model S and Model X car outlines). It's good to know that it appears to be on schedule to open in a few months' time. I've booked a service at Edinburgh in the near future but with the push to rely on the app for communication trying to make arrangements for a loan car feels like a bit of a gamble. A local (i.e. Aberdeen) service centre would be a big bonus for NE Scotland.

Regarding Superchargers, at least there are plenty of rapid chargers dotted around Aberdeen - not quite on the scale of Dundee's charging hubs but the CPS ones remain free to use at present. I regard an Aberdeen Supercharger as "nice to have" rather than "need to have", and a Tesla can get to/from Aviemore and Dundee return on a single charge if necessary.

 

[bjbrown]

Aberdonians are a canny lot and many would not take the risk of buying an expensive car without a test drive or a local "Garage". I think a service centre in Aberdeen will greatly increase the purchase of Tesla's round these parts. The amount of 0-60 demo's I have given has built up a good demand

 

[Shetlandmdl3]

This will be such a bonus for me and others in the northern isles, off the boat and straight to the service centre instead of the ferry then drive to Edinburgh, having said that though I hope the service is as good as Edinburgh

 

[RagingWhisky]

What's it like in Aberdeen currently for chargers?

If you had a model 3, were there plentiful CCS/type2 scattered around?

Been on the mind regarding travel using an EV so if anyone knows local/best chargepoints in around union Street?

 

[bjbrown]

Union Square Multi Story Car Park level 1. has 10 charging spaces and Gallowgate Car Park has 6. choice of connectors and speed. All work well.

 

[cezdoc]

What's it like in Aberdeen currently for chargers?

If you had a model 3, were there plentiful CCS/type2 scattered around?

Been on the mind regarding travel using an EV so if anyone knows local/best chargepoints in around union Street?

What @bjbrown said.

Plugshare covers most of the charge points in Aberdeen pretty well so worth a look. The majority are on the ChargePlaceScotland network can be accessed using ChargeYourCar card/app (possibly also Polar but I'm not sure). These are currently free (parking may not be)

Live Map - ChargePlace Scotland

The Union Square ones are 7kW Type 2 PodPoints, great if you're there for a few hours.
Gallowgate has the most centrally located rapid chargers but there are several others dotted around.
Scotland in general is well served for public charge points, although I gather there have been some teething problems with getting the Model 3 CCS to talk to some of the rapid chargers.

 

[DaddyCool]

I was chatting with a Tesla tech last week who told me a Service Centre should be coming to Aberdeen soon, hopefully opening around April/May this year. Backing this up I also came across this article online Standalone EV service centre for Aberdeen

Good news for any owners or future owners in the North East of Scotland!

The oil tycoons will delay it

 

[MacPaul]

Also Bon Accord shopping centre car park has 12 pod point 7kw chargers. It’s much quieter than Union Square and the spaces are more generously sized.

The ‘oil tycoons’ are adapting. See the impressive Wind Turbines at Aberdeen Beach. The council has a fleet of EVs including Hydrogen powered Mirai and even a H2 roadsweeper.

 

[RW2108]

Spoke to someone at Edinburgh service centre last week and said they should've been moving up to Aberdeen just now but due to covid it's all been delayed. Apparently looking at autumn time now, will be some superchargers on site too.

 

[M3-Newbie]

Hello Aberdonians!!

I just ordered a model 3 - So absolutely delighted to find this thread!! Do any of you that are in Aberdeen have a garage up here you recommend for modifications - like the automatic boot/frunk closer? I've never modified a car in my life and don't own any kind of mechanical tools... despite this effectively being a big battery and computer on wheels - so although the videos look easy enough if you have the right tools - I'd rather find a professional with the right tools to fit for me, and support a local business.

I might potentially get a vinyl wrap or some sort of other protection for the seemingly poor paint - having read about paint chips... if the car needs left for a couple of days for a wrap I'd rather do that in Aberdeen than down in Edinburgh - especially right now! I thought I'd get it and see if the paint thing is still a major thing - or if its a car enthusiast thing which might sail over my head.

I'm using a loan to buy the car outright, so not on a lease but don't want to invalidate any warranties etc - Does anyone have any info on how badly the seagulls affect the tesla original paint? (serious local question!!)

Interesting reading about charging points too - I found some on the EV charging map at Aberdeen train station - which I assumed were in South College Street? Are they fast enough to get decent charge?

Superchargers on Wellington Circle would be AMAZING! There seems to be a huge difference between superchargers and then a three pin plug charge!

 

[cezdoc]

Hello Aberdonians!!

I just ordered a model 3 - So absolutely delighted to find this thread!! Do any of you that are in Aberdeen have a garage up here you recommend for modifications - like the automatic boot/frunk closer? I've never modified a car in my life and don't own any kind of mechanical tools... despite this effectively being a big battery and computer on wheels - so although the videos look easy enough if you have the right tools - I'd rather find a professional with the right tools to fit for me, and support a local business.

I might potentially get a vinyl wrap or some sort of other protection for the seemingly poor paint - having read about paint chips... if the car needs left for a couple of days for a wrap I'd rather do that in Aberdeen than down in Edinburgh - especially right now! I thought I'd get it and see if the paint thing is still a major thing - or if its a car enthusiast thing which might sail over my head.

I'm using a loan to buy the car outright, so not on a lease but don't want to invalidate any warranties etc - Does anyone have any info on how badly the seagulls affect the tesla original paint? (serious local question!!)

Interesting reading about charging points too - I found some on the EV charging map at Aberdeen train station - which I assumed were in South College Street? Are they fast enough to get decent charge?

Superchargers on Wellington Circle would be AMAZING! There seems to be a huge difference between superchargers and then a three pin plug charge!

Congrats on the Model 3 order! The only mod I've had done to my S is getting better boot lights and a dash cam fitted (not needed these days thanks to Sentry Mode!) but a mobile guy came up from down south to do those. I'll be interested to hear if there are any local recommendations as I have picked up some minor scuffs, some kerb rash, and have toyed with the idea of a nose cone wrap. I haven't noticed any particular issue with seagull splats but I do try to rinse them off promptly. My car is over 4 years old now though so the paint may have changed somewhat since then.

The few times I've been past, the rail station charge points on South College St were _always_ ICEd. The car park always seems to be rammed during the day, it's hard to find _any_ spaces there so unless the EV spaces are policed I wouldn't bet on being able to use the charger, I've certainly never managed it. It's listed as a 22kW unit; believe the Model 3 can charge at 16A 3-phase which means a max of 11kW, equivalent to about 35 miles of range added per hour on a Model S, probably more like 40-45 on a Model 3: handy if you're staying around for a couple of hours. You'd also need a 3 phase charging cable but I think this comes with the car.

I'm looking forward to getting a local service centre. We've been well looked-after by the Edinburgh team and the mobile technicians but the logistics will be so much easier without a 5 hour round trip to factor in! I probably won't need the Superchargers but they will be really handy for visitors and folk travelling around the NE.

 

[Adopado]

Interesting reading about charging points too - I found some on the EV charging map at Aberdeen train station - which I assumed were in South College Street? Are they fast enough to get decent charge?

Superchargers on Wellington Circle would be AMAZING! There seems to be a huge difference between superchargers and then a three pin plug charge!

Do you have any possibility of home charging (or at work)? Even 3 pin charging can be fine if your car is doing nothing whilst you're having your tea, watching the telly and sleeping 'til next morning! Supercharging is great for "trips" but slower charging is good for the battery health longterm so try not to plan for SC 100% of the time, if you have options.

 

[M3-Newbie]

Thanks for your quick reply!

The only mod I've had done to my S is getting better boot lights

I have been looking at the lights too - seems to be a must have - The model S and X have proper opening boots though don't they?

I think there is more awareness of electric now and not parking in bays... hopefully! will have to take a walk around and look for them

How do you feel about your tesla 4 years on - presumably still happy with it? do you feel it has evolved with the software updates more than a regular car would - to make it worth it? I'm hoping that this will be a good thing about the tesla in terms of changing with the times a bit.

 

[M3-Newbie]

slower charging is good for the battery health longterm so try not to plan for SC 100% of the time, if you have options.

Funny you both mentioned not needing the superchargers much - I felt that would be a life line! Yeah I had been thinking about the the 3 pin plug just as I'm not doing crazy distances every day so it would be fine - but interesting that its better for the battery!

I'm on 4th Floor without parking in Aberdeen - central because I used to always use the train or fly - and can walk to work.

I have parked the hire car for the last 4 months at work and will do that with the tesla - so will charge with the 3 pin as and when. It seems the tesla is quite clever in terms of deciding when to charge - do you just trust yours to make its own mind up or have you done research on this elsewhere? Seems to be lots of apps for various things.... and strong opinions everywhich way!

I was on the fence between standard range and long range - my friend is still on it - how far do you really get on your SR+ ?

 

[Adopado]

I was on the fence between standard range and long range - my friend is still on it - how far do you really get on your SR+ ?

Your question should be how far do you regularly drive on a daily basis ... that's what will determine whether you need longer range.

This is where the potential for home charging (or work charging) really comes in. With a petrol/diesel car you generally fill it up ... run it until just about empty ... then fill it up again. The convenience with an EV comes from being able to do regular top ups. I never have to make a special trip to charge. No time is wasted. I spend less time waiting for my car to be "fuelled" than someone going to a petrol station, even though on paper it takes a good bit longer for the charge to be added (who cares ... it happens whilst I'm asleep!).

Our normal patterns of driving mean that it's rare for us to need to do more than 50 or 60 miles in one day ... so a Long Range may be nice but it wouldn't actually be any advantage other than on long trips. If you are regularly making 200+ mile trips then the longer range can be a very useful advantage. The other scenario is if you have no choice but to go several days between charges ... if you have to go somewhere specially to charge it could become a pain (in my opinion ... but lots of people do it).

If I average out my consumption I could say that my real range is about 230ish miles ... but that's misleading because I would never attempt to do that in one go unless I wanted to break records or be totally stressed! It's also massively affected by circumstances ... temperature ... wind ... rain .... snow.

The Supercharger network is the Tesla USP that no other brand else gets near to matching. I'm not doing time pressured long distance but in practice, in my SR+, I can drive as far as anyone else but might have to make an extra stop. (Supercharging is not about charging from 0 to 100% ... you make a short stop and add what you need for the next leg of your journey so perhaps making a 15 mins stop rather than 45 mins for example.)

.... and then there's battery health ... I intend to keep the car for a long time so will try to maximise my capacity ... only charge 100% if I think I really need to ... other wise set my own limit between 75 and 90% depending on need ... and avoid frequently hitting the buffers at the low end too ... I rarely need to go below 20%.

 

[MrBadger]

Two things still worth considering.

If you intend to keep car for a while, a LR will go through less degrading charge cycles so will give more mileage over its life. This is hinted at in the battery warranty in the difference in mileage.

EV ownership is not all about a daily drive. If you spend time away from convenient charge points, such as a vacation, getting the car charged will start to influence your choices of things to do. A lot of EV ownership benefits from being able to charge for extended periods of time whilst you are doing other things, such as at home or at work. The moment you lose that ability, charging becomes a priority at times. So that 30 minute shopping trip, turns into planning on when charger not in use and a long coffee at the end of it. Or driving 40 miles out of your way just to get a quick supercharger top up because 2 hours out is better than half a day dragging your heels somewhere else. This will get better with time. But currently, a 2 week break on south coast when we get back to it, will be full of changes in routine just to get a top up, even in a LR that on paper might only need one full charge whilst away, but reality will likely be quite a few charges, some of which were not opportunistic.