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Taking Model S 100D on a Scottish Highland adventure - advice please!

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Hi everyone,

My name's Alistair and I'm a freelance tech and automotive journalist.

Next weekend, I'll be heading from London to the Scottish Highlands in a Model S 100D borrowed from Tesla's PR division. I've driven several Teslas before, S and X, have used Superchargers etc. But I've not driven one this far before. The journey is to highlight Tesla's most northern Supercharger, which is at the MacDonald Highland Resort in Aviemore.

I'll be leaving London on Friday morning then staying the night with family in West Yorkshire, before continuing to an AirBnB about 35 miles east of the Aviemore charger, arriving Saturday evening.

My questions are, have any forum members used the Aviemore station yet? And where would people recommend recharging on the way? We don't plan to drive around much once at the AirBnB, but obviously need enough range to fill up at Aviemore before heading back to West Yorkshire on Monday then London on Tuesday.

Finally, the weather forecast is quite cold - around freezing at our destination - so any advice on how much this hurts range would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Alistair
 
...this far...

Your Tesla navigation should direct you where to charge along the way.

I am not familiar with your location so my experience is generic in warm and sunny California:

1) For a road trip, I always start with a range charge (100%). Range charge may take a long time, more than 1 hour with Supercharger but I sleep at home while charging, so I wouldn't know the difference.

In your case, see if Tesla staff can do a 100% range charge before you will pick it up.

2) I got to make sure I have a range buffer to start (my own reserved miles in case of more miles consumed in real life).

From home, if my next Supercharger is 250 miles, I've got to make sure I charge at least to 300 miles before I start driving.

The same applies when I am at a Super charger and the next destination is 150 miles away, I would charge up to 200 miles.

3) Spend as little time at a charging station as possible while in transition. The charge rate is fastest when it's near empty and as it fills up, it would take longer to charge. Thus, in this case, I would avoid charging 100% because that would take too long. I would only charge enough to get to the next destination.

Once you get to your destination, you can take all the charge time all you want while you will be occupied with something else.

However, if you don't have a destination charger, then of course you have to spend time to charge at the last station before reaching your final hotel.

4) Always compare how far you are to the next destination with what you have on the battery gauge.

For example, if the navigation says you are about 150 miles from your next destination and your battery gauge says it has 151 miles, it might be time that you need to conserve energy: slow down, turn off A/C and Heater. The rest (stereo, lights, fan without A/C or Heat...) don't consume much energy so I wouldn't bother.



Good luck!
 
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Driving is Scotland requires a Chademo adapter (Tesla can provide I’m sure) and a CYC card or App so you can use the large number of rapid chargers that aren’t Tesla owned (and nearly all of them are free!). I’ve toured Scotland and it’s pretty easy although takes a bit of planning.

Zap map or plugshare web sites (or phone apps) can show all the chargers.

There are more Tesla super chargers if you travel up the west side of the uk but in a 100D the east side should be possible. The Tesla Superchargers are on the car satnav and it should tell you what to do.. it can be a bit flacky at times in routing, just eyeball the route first.

As you:re a journalist, the only request to you would be to double check any issues with owners that you’re right and not missing something. Turn up at a charger and plug the wrong cable in resulting in a charge rate of 20 miles for every hour connected and not 120-150 miles the right (and obvious when you know) cable can result in a very different impression. There’s a bit to learn, not that any of it is difficult, and a touring holiday is not the usual first thing an owner does. That said, it’s not perfect as you’ll find out if you try to find the auto wipers (which don’t exist yet!)
 
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You can plan your route and charging stops in advance - A Better Routeplanner

The in car route planner is good but it's nice to think about it beforehand - for your journey I guess I'd be deciding beforehand whether to go up the east route or the west. If you go the west route it's a long hop from Abington to Aviemore but should be OK in a 100D and as already mentioned the car will let you know if you're going to be short on juice and direct you to slow down etc.

When you get there charge on arrival rather than leave it till the next morning - first the battery will soak up charge much faster when it's warm, second you might look like you have enough charge to get to the charger in the morning but the indicated range will drop off a lot overnight if it's cold.

Remember also the supercharger stalls are in pairs - 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B etc. Each numbered pair shares 145kW. If someone's already at 1A and you plug into 1B you will get a reduced charge rate until their rate drops. So try to find an empty pair when you pitch up to charge.

The main energy gauge on the dash is usually optimistic, many of us set that to show % rather than miles, but the energy display you can select on the big screen is very accurate, as is the indicator you'll get in the nav display.

If you've got a Spotify account you can log in with your own account in the car so you can access your own playlists etc. Otherwise the voice recognition is pretty good for selecting artists/albums.

Enjoy, I love a good road trip in the Tesla!
 
Why stop at Aviemore?

Tesla lists destination chargers in Inverness, Torridon, and out on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula.

And, there are regular EV chargers on the Isle of Skye and even out on Harris.

As, for cold weather, it will sap range, but I don’t think that coastal Scotland gets bitterly cold the way we do here in parts of the States.

Enjoy the adventure.
 
If you are planning to use the CYC (Charge Your Car) locations in Scotland (which are free to charge I think?) you should install the phone APP before you go. No need to put any money on the account (but you should register a credit card). If you have to pay anywhere it will be debited from your card subsequently.

I've only used one CYC location to charge. The CYC map showed the charger 0.5 miles away from where it was. That had two consequences: I had to use a different map to find the real location!! I used Plugshare, but Zap Map is also popular. Both are accurate. and secondly, when I found the charger (in a line of 3) I had two work out which ones that was on the APP - given that the APP was claiming that two of them were 0.5 miles away in different directions!

If you have an RFID from CYC then that problem goes away because you can just swipe that at the charger.

But looking at A Better Route Planner it looks like you won't need to charge more than 80% at any supercharger en route - apart from any extra juice you need for side-trips to accommodation stops etc. - so using non-Tesla Rapid Chargers (haha ... only 50% max of Tesla Supercharger rate) probably totally unnecessary.

In case of interest a Dutch couple took a roadtrip from Holland to Scotland this Summer. There asked some similar questions on the forum (LINK) and also wrote a blog: UK Electric Roadtrip 2017

Will Tesla hook up the the APP on your phone to the car? I don't think they normally do that for a loaner, but perhaps worth asking? If you are sitting having a coffee at Supercharger its handy to keep an eye on the charging - e.g. to make sure that it ramps up to it 100+ kW (that will fall as charge gets above 50% or so). If not I would definitely wait in the car until charging ramps up to 100+kW - if that doesn't happen I would move and try a different stall. Shouldn't happen, but pointless you sitting there for ages if it does. As already mentioned avoid charging at an A stall if the B stall is already in use, and vice versa.

You are probably already familiar with it, but with a destination in the SatNav then on the Energy screen there is a TRIP tab which will show both predicted and actual energy use on the trip, and predicted amount on arrival. If that falls to worryingly low level then just slow down. Each 5 MPH reduction in speed will increase range by 10%

staying the night with family in West Yorkshire
continuing to an AirBnB

If I was making that trip (i.e. maybe journalistically you will want to restrict to Superchargers) I'd scrounge 13AMP supply at both those.

Initially I was embarrassed to ask hosts to help myself to their electricity, until one of them said "Don't apologise, every youngster that visits immediately plugs in all their devices without even asking. That's the future" :) If you are using your folks' DIY extension lead I suggest you feel the Plug/Cable after half an hour and check it doesn't feel hot. I carry a heavy duty extension cable so as not to be using someone's old frayed mower extension cable!
 
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Thanks for the replies! Some really useful information here, especially the A/B charging tip.

Tesla press cars usually come with a Chademo adapter, so we should be ok there. I've signed up to CYC now and have downloaded the app. There's a rapid charging close to the AirBnb, which might come in handy. And yes, to the person who suggested it, I'll be packing an extension cable and plugging in overnight at Mum's in Yorkshire. We might well charge at the AirBnB too, if needs be.

I've used the Tesla app with previous press cars, so will make sure I'm logged in to keep an eye on charge rates at our stops.

Surprised to hear quite how damaging cold weather is to range, so with the forecast hovering around zero I'll bear that in mind.

I'd love to have extended the trip and explored further - especially to Skye, where I've been before (not in a Tesla...) - but I'm limited to the amount of time I can take off work.

We set off Friday - looking forward to it!
 
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Surprised to hear quite how damaging cold weather is to range

I think that 40% quote upthread is misleading, especially for UK conditions: I think it assumed significantly below zero and/or driving through slush (the latter, or extreme heavy rain even if warm, is indeed a significant range killer).

In UK conditions, a simple percentage doesn't really tell the story, as there's a large 'departure tax' to get the car/battery warmed up initially, but then cruising in air temperatures not much below zero the powertrain keeps itself warm and you've just the cabin heat to account for. So very short journeys can be 500% higher consumption than summer, while long ones can be as little as 10% worse. Genuinely very short journeys don't matter of course, but a long journey with stops long enough to let the car cool down (especially overnight without charging) can be a genuine issue.
 
First just to echo what @arg says above: for the sort of journey you're doing (longish legs of >1hr) I'd expect a reduction in range of ~10% even if it's cold by UK standards. A headwind and/or rain/standing water would have more impact, but you can just manage range by slowing down a little. The main caution is to be wary of parking up for the night with a low (say <20%) battery as a cold start the next morning could significantly eat into your range, so if possible charge up before you reach your overnight stops, or make sure there is an extra reserve to cover the cold start the next morning. If you want to clear condensation/ice before setting off you'll be running the battery down a bit (a rough guess: de-icing/warming for 30 minutes might use 3 kWh which is about 8 miles of range - not a problem if there's >200 "typical" miles in the tank but if you parked up for the evening with only 20 "miles" left you could be in trouble).

Second, if the main point of your journey is to visit the Aviemore supercharger you can do it all on Superchargers, so I wouldn't worry about faffing about with the CHAdeMO adapter and CYC app and hunting around for Chargeplace Scotland (CPS) charging units (I do use CPS all the time and as public networks go it's excellent but the it's a lot simpler to stick with the in-car sat Nav which shows all Supercharger locations and their live status). Also some of the CPS charging units are in mobile phone blackspots so you might not be able to get a charge started using the app, hence the RFID card is recommended). Anyway, if you want to experiment with extension cables, adapters and apps it's interesting to try it out (and can save the occasional detour or cut down charging time on the road) but the Supercharger experience is sooo much better you might not want the bother.

In terms of route planning, I'd echo the recommendations above to plug your journey into Abetterrouteplanner. It can be a bit optimistic on journey time (I always cross-check with something like Google Maps) but the energy predictions for different Tesla models are pretty good.

Heading up from West Yorkshire the M6 would be quickest, probably using the Tebay - Abington - Aviemore Superchargers. Note that you can access Tebay heading north by crossing over on the service road (past the services hotel) - the in-car route planner doesn't know this.

Abington-Aviemore is 165 miles and I'd be confident of doing that in my S70 so it would be well within the capabilities of a S100D. If doing it by Supercharger only, ideally I'd head straight to Aviemore for a charge before going to the Air BnB but if you don't mind waiting a bit longer for the battery to fill up more at Abington I reckon you'd be fine (check the predictions on Abetterrouteplanner and give yourself an extra 5% for overnight losses/cold start insurance). Alternatively you can route via Edinburgh but it's not so direct, it's only 2-bay so the chances of sharing/waiting are a bit higher, and traffic on the new bridge is slower that the M80/A9 route. Dundee is the closest SuC to Aviemore but is effectively a 40 mile (round trip) detour.

I live in Scotland and visited Aviemore last month. It's a nice set up - 6 bays available with a further 6 under wrappers. It's tucked away behind one of the hotel buildings so I'd have a look at the map on Tesla.com (try this link) to get an idea where you're heading. The Nav guides you to within striking distance but IIRC you have to work out the last couple of turns yourself (the map pin is in exactly the right location though). There were some initial reports of bays being blocked by guests but I think the hotel now put out cones to prevent this happening. If you mention you're using the Supercharger you may get a discount in the bar!
 
So we made it! As far as range and charging goes, the trip was an absolute breeze. We sat comfortably at motorway speed the whole way there and back, never fell below about 15% charge, and didn't need to make any unexpected stops. We also didn't have to use any public chargers - although we did plug in at my mum's house through the letterbox on each of the two nights we spent there. This added about 50 miles of range each time.

I found the car's estimate for % charge remaining at destination - or recharge point - to be the most useful number to keep an eye on. This offered the best indication of whether we were using up energy too quickly or conserving nicely. 1,200 miles over five days was a bit of a mission and I'd ideally have had another night at the Airbnb, but I was tight for time with other work commitments.

All Superchargers were available on arrival, we never had to park next to another Tesla and share the power, and at Aviemore we were the only Tesla on both visits. Chargers were all easy to find, apart from at Woodall services on the southbound M1. You have to go right through the services then take a sharp right just before exiting left onto the slip road. You then need to pass no-entry signs to get to the Superchargers. Looks like they are on a piece of land next to the staff carpark. This was really the only negative throughout.

Charging rates varied a little, but were mostly very impressive - once we'd had a loo break and a coffee/sandwich it was usually time to get going again. I think Tebay was the fastest we saw, at 360 miles per hour.

Next up, I'll be taking a Model X 100D to Tesla's most southern UK charger, in Lifton, Cornwall during a trip to Helston in January.
 
I think that 40% quote upthread is misleading, especially for UK conditions: I think it assumed significantly below zero and/or driving through slush (the latter, or extreme heavy rain even if warm, is indeed a significant range killer).

In UK conditions, a simple percentage doesn't really tell the story, as there's a large 'departure tax' to get the car/battery warmed up initially, but then cruising in air temperatures not much below zero the powertrain keeps itself warm and you've just the cabin heat to account for. So very short journeys can be 500% higher consumption than summer, while long ones can be as little as 10% worse. Genuinely very short journeys don't matter of course, but a long journey with stops long enough to let the car cool down (especially overnight without charging) can be a genuine issue.

Thanks for this, Arg. Helpful advice for those cold winter mornings when I'd rather be on the beach than heading off to work in the Tesla!
 
There's been some chatter in this thread recently about cold weather driving, probably as a result of the 20-below temperature in USA :(

Clearly -20C is not something we have to worry about in UK often! but paraphrasing some of the useful bits I read:

Range prediction on dash does not adjust based on recent conditions - and thus may be wildly optimistic in extreme conditions. Set SatNav for destination and use the TRIP tab on the Energy Graph instead.

Preheating cabin before departure (whilst connected to shore-power) is helpful, but does not warm up battery/much. Charging the car is better (make sure Range Mode is OFF - with Range Mode OFF the battery heater cutoff is 8C, with Range Mode ON the setpoint is lowered to the extreme lower limit).

Charge the battery first, with climate OFF, so that max power goes to battery, then warm cabin last.

If needing to Supercharge a cold battery then supercharge will be slow until battery has warmed up, so better (if possible) to drive first and then Supercharge. Alternative Supercharge on arrival, when battery warm, rather than before departure.

Bjorn posted a YouTube recently showing the fastest way to warm a battery (e.g. prior to Supercharging) was to drive it and alternate full Regen and Acceleration. Doing this for 20 minutes, even given the energy used, will Supercharge faster than waiting for a cold battery to warm up connected to Supercharger.

Expect very high energy consumption if the day comprises short stop / start journeys where stationary for long enough for the battery to get cold again. Each "start" will have to warm the battery, and the cabin. Plugging in at each stop, even to 13 AMP, will help.

If range is an issue, when you are warm enough, turn Range Mode ON. This will reduce cabin heat though ... As always if range is an issue slow down :) (Apparently more so in winter because of air density when cold and increase drag)

I believe Range Mode makes little difference, when driving, in RWD cars, so probably only applicable to D-cars (which can favour which motor to use). But presumably they are both the same in terms of reducing battery heater energy usage whilst the battery is extremely cold.

When you park at you destination, and IF you cannot plug in, make sure range mode is ON - that will stop or slow the battery heater (6KW) draw on the frozen battery which will help consumption on the way home. The motor and inverter will warm the battery naturally (and more slowly) as you drive.

When the battery is frozen (and you don't have time/ability to Charge) then don't preheat, just set Range Mode ON and drive. That will save energy but regen will be limited and cabin heat will be reduced.

Seat heaters are much more frugal than cabin heaters - but personally I didn't spend 100-grand on a car to have to drive around in Long Johns!

There was also chatter that it is worth considering the rolling-resistance of tyres - in particular if fitting Winter tyres. Also, Check tyre pressures. Likely to need topping up in cold weather.

Also talk that many ICE cars are failing to start at all ... at least that's not a problem with EV :) although, common to both, opening the doors can be a problem! (I've ordered some Magic Potion for the door rubbers which apparently helps)