If Scourie CCS is down, will Type 2 suffice? Considering hiring a Model 3 for Fort-William - Lock Assynt trip

[e-FTW]

Hello friends from across the pond! Am based in the US and am not familiar with the charging options that might be available to me if I go ahead and hire a Model 3. Or what the car comes with, which I would hope is a full mobile charging kit. This will be second week of August.

The plan would be for a one-day drive like so:

1. Pick car up in Fort William
2. Drive to Inverness and Supercharge to 100%
3. Drive to Scourie via Lairg (to get some of the beauty of driving south toward Assynt)
4. Charge at Scourie, then pop down to accommodation near Loch Assynt (not booked yet)

The problem: Scourie appears to have a non-functional CCS. But Type 2 43kW appears to me as a reasonable option. Is this a risk? Will the car have an adapter for it?

Also, is this drive realistic? I assume any planning I make I will need to double the time estimations because of the tsunami of tourists and caravans on the roads.

Thank you kindly for any input. Cheers!

 

[pheo]

You’ll only pull a max of 11kw on AC with an M3. More than that needs DC via a rapid.

Of course you can make this work for you - eg if you’re spending a day trip find a destination charger and do it that way.

 

[Overworked]

You wont need an adapter as all cars in Europe are fitted with CCS2 which accepts a Type 2 plug too.

Your problem is the on board charger which will only draw at 11kW.

Your only problem with the charger is that it is the only one in the area so hope nobody else is charging when you get there.

ChargePlace Scotland has an app for the phone and you can enter your credit card details and use the app to start charging sessions. However in some remote areas where there is no signal that wont work as without signal you cannot start the charger, and an RFID card is useful which can be obtained from CPS - but you would need to arrange before you arrive.

You may wish to check with the renter if they have any and what cables come with the car. You should get a type 2 cable as a minimum, but you would also want a “granny charger” that works on a 3pin plug. That means you might be able to get charged at your lodging if they dont have a destination charger.

ETA: Get the zapmap app too which you will find essential for your research

 

[e-FTW]

Excellent info!

ABRP thinks the entire drive is doable on a single charge. But I will not take that chance, especially as we are staying two nights near Assynt. I will look into granny-charging.

 

[e-FTW]

Problem solved: booked the Scourie Lodge, which has a Tesla charger.

 

[TheRealWatto]

Just a warning with ABRP, the timings it gives can often be extremely optimistic, at least in my experience. Be sure to budget some extra time.

And if you're presumably driving the A9 into Inverness from the south, please note the signs with 50 and a little lorry (truck) picture don't apply to you. The Tesla will think they do, but you can go 60 in those sections - frustrated locals will thank you.

 

[Adopado]

Problem solved: booked the Scourie Lodge, which has a Tesla charger.

If you are ever needing to charge to 100% bear in mind that this takes much longer than charging to lower percentages. Overnight charging is fine for this but you mentioned charging to 100% on a Supercharger… you will potentially block the charger for other users whilst the car trickles the last few percent. If you really have no choice fair enough.

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

Worth checking the individual chargers. We went up to Skye and whilst some of the chargers were great you were limited to how long you could charge for (IIRC 45 mins with 15 mins grace)

I'm not sure if it varies dependent on location but the two we used in Skye both had this limit.

 

[TechnoWatch]

Remember to ask whether it comes with a "Mobile Connector with a 3 Pin plug" as "Granny Charger" seems to be a colloquial term that has formed for the device to charge your car from a standard socket and there is a possibility the hire company may not quite know what you are asking for!

 

[e-FTW]

All excellent information, thank you all!

There‘s nothing like local knowledge! If any of you come to Canada or the US, I can return the favour.

 

[Avendit]

Sounds like you are sorted (destination charging for the win!), But for the record in case others search.

I've just hired a Y from Hertz in Iceland, it came with a type 2 and mobile connector with correct local adaptor. Took a few emails back and fore to get clarity on this, but we got there. They also added it to my Tesla account so I can use my phone as key and for all the usual control stuff.

 

[Wybrook]

If you can find any, get some ‘Avon Skin So Soft’ Original Dry Oil Spray. It is the only thing known to keep the infamous west coast midge at bay. You may have never met these little beasties, but on an overcast damp day on the West coast between July and October, step out of the car to admire a view and they will devour you !

I was once at the camp site in Glen Nevis and they had a whole shelf of just this product. No one’s sure why it works, but it does, and, to be honest, once you’ve been caught in a cloud of the little devils you won’t care why it works !

 

[Avendit]

If you can find any, get some ‘Avon Skin So Soft’ Original Dry Oil Spray. It is the only thing known to keep the infamous west coast midge at bay. You may have never met these little beasties, but on an overcast damp day on the West coast between July and October, step out of the car to admire a view and they will devour you !

I was once at the camp site in Glen Nevis and they had a whole shelf of just this product. No one’s sure why it works, but it does, and, to be honest, once you’ve been caught in a cloud of the little devils you won’t care why it works !

View attachment 954734

Caution, it stops them biting. It doesn't stop them being annoying little @@;&£(@'s. Bring a midge net if you want them kept a little further at bay.

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

Skin so soft does work. I've tried others and they felt like I had smeared myself in coca cola and still the midges came.

Only downside to the Avon product is you smell like a granny.

 

[Adopado]

Has "Smidge" stopped working? That has been the go-to brand for the past few years ...

 

[e-FTW]

Yup, I’ve been keeping an eye on the Midge Forecast: The Scottish Midge Forecast

 

[e-FTW]

Has "Smidge" stopped working? That has been the go-to brand for the past few years ...

Wondering the same thing, and where we can find either locally.

 

[init6]

Skin so soft is usually found in Tiso - There's one in Inverness.
I would advise against it as it has a really strong over-perfumed smell.
Tiso sell Smidge too.

I've found the best way to avoid them is to take along an English friend. They seem to go straight for the southerners and leave the locals alone. YMMV

Some more advice here.

 

[e-FTW]

So Smidge is good? The beasts have not evolved past it?

 

[e-FTW]

Some more advice here.

That is a great resource!