Tesla as only car on West Coast Scotland?

[angelman]

My sister lives in Oban on the west coast of Scotland. They have some kind of electric car chargers at her work as they are moving to an all electric fleet which is great (Kia Niro I think). Sustainability and environmentalism are very important to her. She wants to go all electric but has range anxiety (understandable on the west coast where things can get a little isolated).
I suggested a model3 might not now be as expensive as she might think and with it's long range be ideal.
Questions: CAn you just charge the car by plugging it into any 240V socket at home? (I am living in California and we need to install a special 240V socket due to America's "weak" electricity at . I told her she didn't really need to worry about lack of charging infrastructure as she could always just plug in the car at night wherever she happens to be (in the US you can charge on a domestic socket but at 110V it takes several days to charge!).
By my calculation she is maybe 120 miles from nearest superchargers, and it looks like Tesla has installed superchargers all the way down to London to allow for a North South cross country trip. Does this all work as intended? Obviously for myself being in California I am pretty spoiled for charging choices.
What other electric cars did you consider other than the Tesla
Is having a Tesla as the only family car (for 2 kids) really practical? They often do trips to the highlands and islands.

GRateful for any thoughts and experiences

 

[NorfolkMustard]

Yes. The car will come with a plug for a domestic 240v socket, which will charge at 10amps / 2.3kW / ~9mph

Scotland also has ChargePlace Scotland | Scotland's Public EV Charging Network

which has chargers in Oban

 

[ProfessorK]

I charge my SR+ via three pin plug - I get up to 11mph.

 

[*Adam]

Alternatively your sister could install a 32a commando socket or Smart charger and get 7.2kWh. Cost of install with government grants £249 to > £900.

I considered the BMW i3, and the Hyundai Kona Electric.

 

[Sixer]

If it was me and based on where she lives a home charger (7.2kWh) is essential!

 

[Tonybvi]

I’m surrounded by public chargers but use my 7kw smart charger (in dumb mode) for 95% of my charging. As Tesla’s have a range of 200 to 350 miles (depending on model) so long as there are public chargers around 100 miles of home your sister will have no problems. Oban is fine for Tesla as an only car but I would highly recommend using all available grants and getting a 7kw charger installed at home. After all grants my Rolec cost around £100.

 

[freekie]

I would also recommend home charger. We have 2 kids and are managing (3 months in). Storage space is good but owing to spacing of isofix fittings there is little space between 2 child seats in rear. Would have preferred a hatchback for practicality. Test drove eNiro and Jag ipace but for me M3 was streets ahead. Love the car and have just managed a drive down to Chamonix

 

[angelman]

thanks for the input. It sounds like range anxiety is not really a huge deal. freekie you mentioned the eNiro, this was going to be my other suggestion for her due to lower cost (but probably not much lower). Apart from things like speed, autopilot and general toys (which my sister really doesn't care about at all), what else might the TEsla advantage be?
Also how about servicing? I see that the nearest SC is in Edinburgh, have any of you had to use it? Do they do loaner cars of free car rental like they do in the US? I am trying to get up to speed on the Tesla ownership experience in UK/Scotland compared to my experience here in California.

 

[angelman]

sorry another question re charging. Des the Tesla come with CCS or Chademo adapators? If it comes with adaptors are they the ones that are needed for the majority of public chargers?
It sounds like worst case scenario, she heads off to the islands or a remote area, she can always find a friendly local and charge from their house (maybe a good extension cord is a good purchase!). In the US many people venturing into more remote areas charge at RV campgrounds and the like or carry an array of connectors to connect to various sockets.

 

[*Adam]

sorry another question re charging. Des the Tesla come with CCS or Chademo adapators? If it comes with adaptors are they the ones that are needed for the majority of public chargers?
It sounds like worst case scenario, she heads off to the islands or a remote area, she can always find a friendly local and charge from their house (maybe a good extension cord is a good purchase!). In the US many people venturing into more remote areas charge at RV campgrounds and the like or carry an array of connectors to connect to various sockets.

A Chademo adaptor doesn’t come with the M3. There are two types of plugs the M3 can use without adaptors here in the U.K. CCS and Type 2. The later will be the most common for a charge up to AC 22kWh. Over that and that’s where the second CCS will be used. They are the same plug, just two extra pins at the bottom for DC.

You get a Male-Female Type 2 lead with the car, as well as the UMC with a 3pin 240v and a 16a commando socket; which you can find at campsites. You don’t need to carry around an array of adaptors like the US.

I can’t specifically comment on Edinburgh but I believe it to be Tesla’s ethos to supply a loaner on request, subject to availability.

 

[ianto999]

They are supposed to be opening a SC inGlasgow...
I'm in Glasgow if she wants to chat to a 'local'.

 

[Adopado]

They are supposed to be opening a SC inGlasgow...
I'm in Glasgow if she wants to chat to a 'local'.

Eurocentral is already open ...

 

[Fourier1]

Supercharging is great for long journeys (over 100 miles), but for local use home charging is the key. And although a standard plug will work OK in the UK, a 7kW home charger is much more flexible allowing relatively quick daily charging.

The highlands and islands are surprisingly well equipped with chargers (usually free to use through Chargeplace Scotland), often at the ferry terminals too. And Aviemore has superchargers for the central highlands.

 

[Adopado]

sorry another question re charging. Des the Tesla come with CCS or Chademo adapators?

The UK M3 is native CCS for DC and Type2 for AC ... these are standard connectors here. No adapters needed. There are several free public chargers in Oban itself but there are 2 grants available to install your own charger (so long as she can charge off street) totalling £800. I wouldn't consider having an EV without home charging. You would have to be very dedicated and put up with too many compromises for most people. The basic mains charging would be ok short term and emergencies but a 7kW charge point is what you would want. Very few UK addresses would have problem with having a 7kW charge point from an electrical supply point of view.

 

[Avendit]

Chargeplace scotland does a good job all around the highlands. There is a route your sister will have heard of called the North Coast 500 - a few people in Model 3's have done it and documented it on here - a search for north coast or NC500 should show them up. Just as a demonstration of what is possible. I also travel the west coast and after a few months, have no qualms about it. Further north mostly, but I intend to tow a small boat to Oban from Edinburgh in the future, and it just doesn't worry me after a few months of ownership.

The Supercharger (15 mins for a half battery) in Glasgow is up and running, although a long range model 3 should do there and back comfortably! In nasty weather or for peace of mind there are 4-5 fast chargers (~30 mins for a 1/3-1/2 charge) on the way that are free via charge place scotland. And loads of quick-ish AC chargers in emergencies.

Home charging would be essential, its the key. But that doesn't change between different electric cars.

Normally I would say get her to plug different cars, battery sizes etc and common trips she does into abetterrouteplanner.com, but it doesn't seem to be working that well this evening. I'm sure it will be back tomorrow or the day after tho.

Last thing, the 3 is my main family car for holidays etc and its fine. Its a pretty big car by UK standards - small hatchbacks are much more common here (golf's Astras, Civics etc). So its fine. I got 4 of us (2+2), a weeks worth of clothes for very varied weather conditions and the whole weeks worth of shopping in the car and drove north of Ullapool. Stopped at the most northerly supercharger while we had lunch (the same place we would stop for lunch anyway in our old ICE) and went the rest of the way on that charge. Drove past many options for topping up, but didn't need it.

It does feel very green, especialy if she can charge from her own solar or a tariff that prioritises green sources.

Good luck! its worth it for the green feeling. That its a great car just helps

 

[jimbo_hippo]

If your sister is already keen on the environmental elements then she’s already half way there as she will no doubt be aware that these things require a smidge of patience and some new approaches. People who throw smart phones in the corner when there’s a software glitch shouldn’t buy EVs in my humble opinion. Those who google the issue and fix it should. She’ll no doubt be more patient taking the plunge than those buying for other reasons.

Out of all the options, I’d say a Tesla will not only be the least painful route, it will also be the most rewarding route as her mindset is the same as that of the company: Make a change and work together to make it a painless and rewarding transition.

Hope she loves her choices and fair play to her for wanting to go EV.

 

[angelman]

Question regarding data and maps in UK. In USA I get free days for life as an early purchaser now they are starting to charge 10/month for new owners. Service is provided by major company and coverage is good into you get into the deserts and mountains. What is the connection like in UK. One thing I like is driving into downtown Los Angeles blasting out the archers and radio4.. it's funny in my head at least. How is 4g always reception, I always find 4g reception kind of spotty when I go back to uk. What are the maps and route planning like. In USA it's almost the exact same of not better than Google maps. My family is always telling me Google maps is crappy in UK (which I don't really believe). How is Tesla navigation there?

 

[*Adam]

Question regarding data and maps in UK. In USA I get free days for life as an early purchaser now they are starting to charge 10/month for new owners. Service is provided by major company and coverage is good into you get into the deserts and mountains. What is the connection like in UK. One thing I like is driving into downtown Los Angeles blasting out the archers and radio4.. it's funny in my head at least. How is 4g always reception, I always find 4g reception kind of spotty when I go back to uk. What are the maps and route planning like. In USA it's almost the exact same of not better than Google maps. My family is always telling me Google maps is crappy in UK (which I don't really believe). How is Tesla navigation there?

At the moment the service is with Telephonica/O2 which gets good coverage over here. It does depend on the location but here on the south cost I get get good signal. No sign of them charging for connectivity..yet?

I’ve had no qualms with Google Maps. It’s reliable and since Google/Alphabet purchased Waze it’s become a lot better.

 

[Avendit]

O2 Network Coverage Checker | 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G Coverage

Not had a problem yet. Some single track roads waaaay up north not covered, but junctions are few and far between so it hardly matters. Its also not intrinsic to the car.

 

[JosiahLockhart]

My vote is all in, I'm aware of the highlands council, and in particular Oban, making switches to electric fleets. I'm in Edinburgh but travel extensively through the highlands and have never had a problem, and only have a SR+ There are plenty of chargers both throughout the Highlands and on many of the main islands (check ZapMap). Having driven the NC500 in Oct I got to experience this firsthand. I'm also working with a few communities up north (B&B enclaves) to introduce additional charging and know its growing. and remember, you can drive from Oban to Glasgow on roughly half a charge. . About once a month I drive up to the HIE office in Inverses from Edinburgh and can drive all the way up and use their (free) charger while I'm in a meeting and have enough charge to get home to Edinburgh.

My vote is for the Model 3 over the Kia simply because of the depreciation maths in Scotland. If she uses the Government's interest free loan and free charging network the main cost is only depreciation and I would go for the 3 as it should depreciate less and you can actually get one (Kia had 18 month waiting list last time I asked).

Make sure she doesn't forget she can get a nearly free home charger with the Scottish Government top up of the OLEV scheme (Domestic charge point funding)