Finished first long distance trip!

[Chrisd]

So finished my first trip to Scotland and back to London.
The car performed well. In fact the ACC and the MG Pilot made the motorway driving less tiring than usual.
Learning to manage recharging was interesting. The outwards trip was poorer due to trying to max out the battery, whereas the increased stops with shorter recharge times was much better on the return ( thanks to a members recommendation of ABRP).
Charging was only a problem in Scotland, where the older chargers would not work with the app or contactless. Might have worked with a Rfid fob, but could only use the AC with the help of the operator.
Overall fun, but I'll be repeating it in July!

 

[bloggsy]

So finished my first trip to Scotland and back to London.
The car performed well. In fact the ACC and the MG Pilot made the motorway driving less tiring than usual.
Learning to manage recharging was interesting. The outwards trip was poorer due to trying to max out the battery, whereas the increased stops with shorter recharge times was much better on the return ( thanks to a members recommendation of ABRP).
Charging was only a problem in Scotland, where the older chargers would not work with the app or contactless. Might have worked with a Rfid fob, but could only use the AC with the help of the operator.
Overall fun, but I'll be repeating it in July!

Hi Chris - good job on your trip!

Where are you going in Scotland, if you don't mind me asking? The other Scottish members and I could let you know where the newer charging hubs are which. might assist with you getting charged a bit smoother.

For example, there's a charging hub in a small town, just off of the A1 to the East of Edinburgh (if you're coming up the A1 from Newcastle), a load of chargers at the Park and Ride at Edinburgh Airport and a popular hub (with some of us) near Stirling. These are all Chargeplace Scotland so you will be able to activate it through the app.

If you're travelling North through the smaller roads in the Borders, there's a few chargers (possibly ionity but I'm not 100%) with contactless payment in the shopping centre close to Ikea, just off of Edinburgh City Bypass.

Cheers

Bloggsy

 

[Archev]

Hi Chris - good job on your trip!

Where are you going in Scotland, if you don't mind me asking? The other Scottish members and I could let you know where the newer charging hubs are which. might assist with you getting charged a bit smoother.

For example, there's a charging hub in a small town, just off of the A1 to the East of Edinburgh (if you're coming up the A1 from Newcastle), a load of chargers at the Park and Ride at Edinburgh Airport and a popular hub (with some of us) near Stirling. These are all Chargeplace Scotland so you will be able to activate it through the app.

If you're travelling North through the smaller roads in the Borders, there's a few chargers (possibly ionity but I'm not 100%) with contactless payment in the shopping centre close to Ikea, just off of Edinburgh City Bypass.

Cheers

Bloggsy

Hi guys - forgive me butting in - I’ve used a bunch of chargers in odd corners around Scotland. I’ve never encountered an ionity unit but that’s maybe just my sheltered lifestyle and love of using the (dwindling number of) free units

 

[Chrisd]

Hi Chris - good job on your trip!

Where are you going in Scotland, if you don't mind me asking? The other Scottish members and I could let you know where the newer charging hubs are which. might assist with you getting charged a bit smoother.

For example, there's a charging hub in a small town, just off of the A1 to the East of Edinburgh (if you're coming up the A1 from Newcastle), a load of chargers at the Park and Ride at Edinburgh Airport and a popular hub (with some of us) near Stirling. These are all Chargeplace Scotland so you will be able to activate it through the app.

If you're travelling North through the smaller roads in the Borders, there's a few chargers (possibly ionity but I'm not 100%) with contactless payment in the shopping centre close to Ikea, just off of Edinburgh City Bypass.

Cheers

Bloggsy

We stay at a place between Ullapool and Gairloch, so it's a bit out of the way.

 

[bloggsy]

Hi guys - forgive me butting in - I’ve used a bunch of chargers in odd corners around Scotland. I’ve never encountered an ionity unit but that’s maybe just my sheltered lifestyle and love of using the (dwindling number of) free units

Ha ha! You're right Archie - I had to check after you've mentioned this. It's Drive Energy and not Ionity. Sorry folks!

Cheers

Bloggsy

 

[bloggsy]

We stay at a place between Ullapool and Gairloch, so it's a bit out of the way.

Okay - a bit more out of the way than what I'm used to! However @Archev and @Edoc16 both travel far and wide, and are very obliging so could maybe recommend chargers to use and one's to avoid for your next trip?

Cheers

Bloggsy

 

[Jonny M]

Bit of a hijack but please bear with me.
I have an mg phev exclusive.
Can I drive from Suffolk to Scotland and back without charging my car, will I do any damage not charging it for about 1,000 miles ? I normally charge at home as I have solar panels, never charged it any where else.

 

[Archev]

Bit of a hijack but please bear with me.
Can I drive from Suffolk to Scotland and back without charging my car, will I do any damage not charging it for about 1,000 miles ?

I’m assuming that’s a plug in hybrid you have there in which case I can’t help as I don’t know much about them.
If it’s a plug in electric vehicle then I desperately want any gentle driving tips and recommendations you can offer

 

[Gadget Geek]

Bit of a hijack but please bear with me.
I have an mg phev exclusive.
Can I drive from Suffolk to Scotland and back without charging my car, will I do any damage not charging it for about 1,000 miles ? I normally charge at home as I have solar panels, never charged it any where else.

Pluging in to charge is to save you having to use petrol to charge. The battery will charge as you go along, either from the engine or from regen braking. So yes, you can drive any distance you want.(Previous phev Prius owner)

 

[N2STY]

With out charge the only down side MPG

 

[TheRoadrunner]

We stay at a place between Ullapool and Gairloch, so it's a bit out of the way.

Thats just where I’m going in October so it’d be great to know of the reliable charge points up there in the highlands too.

 

[Shrink Proof]

We stay at a place between Ullapool and Gairloch, so it's a bit out of the way.

Thats just where I’m going in October so it’d be great to know of the reliable charge points up there in the highlands too.

Hello from Ullapool. I live in Inverness and have taken the MG5 all over the Highlands & Islands; just on the return trip from the Western Isles. The rapid charger by the Ullapool ferry terminal has never failed me. It's actually in the car park area for the ferry, so if you arrive when vehicles are being sorted into queues you have to tell the guys in hi-viz that you're charging and don't want to be sent to a queue for Stornoway. The Tesco charger here's OK too, but dearer.

Don't know about further north (never needed to charge) but the charger in Scourie looks dead - red lights aplenty and haven't ever needed to charge in Gairloch either. The charger in Torridon is a bit hit and miss apparently, in large part because the phone signal is so lousy out there. In fact, getting and using an RFID card is a very good move in these parts as sometimes in the far north phoning's impossible.

Overall, I've done OK with ChargePlace Scotland (their app and website have both been OK too) and electric driving up here is fine. The car seems un-fazed by our winters too. Have a good trip!

 

[TheRoadrunner]

Hello from Ullapool. I live in Inverness and have taken the MG5 all over the Highlands & Islands; just on the return trip from the Western Isles. The rapid charger by the Ullapool ferry terminal has never failed me. It's actually in the car park area for the ferry, so if you arrive when vehicles are being sorted into queues you have to tell the guys in hi-viz that you're charging and don't want to be sent to a queue for Stornoway. The Tesco charger here's OK too, but dearer.

Don't know about further north (never needed to charge) but the charger in Scourie looks dead - red lights aplenty and haven't ever needed to charge in Gairloch either. The charger in Torridon is a bit hit and miss apparently, in large part because the phone signal is so lousy out there. In fact, getting and using an RFID card is a very good move in these parts as sometimes in the far north phoning's impossible.

Overall, I've done OK with ChargePlace Scotland (their app and website have both been OK too) and electric driving up here is fine. The car seems un-fazed by our winters too. Have a good trip!

Thank you so much for that info. And I’m really looking forward to the visit to your homeland.

 

[Shrink Proof]

Thank you so much for that info. And I’m really looking forward to the visit to your homeland.

No problem. If you haven't done it already, make sure you purchase an RFID card from ChargePlace Scotland (via the website) before you go. It gets round any mobile phone connectivity hassles and seems to work OK. Besides, the overwhelming majority of public chargers in Scotland are CPS operated.

 

[Chrisd]

No problem. If you haven't done it already, make sure you purchase an RFID card from ChargePlace Scotland (via the website) before you go. It gets round any mobile phone connectivity hassles and seems to work OK. Besides, the overwhelming majority of public chargers in Scotland are CPS operated.

Getting the RFID is essential! A lot of the older charging points do not work with contactless or the app and can only charge with AC via the operator( at least not with the MG ZS EV Mk2 according to the operator). The charger in the car park at Ullapool was life saver!
PS Scourie is dead! Gairloch was fine.

 

[Doddydoodle]

If you use the A1 Towards Edinburgh. There is a 350kw ionity charger ( 4 bays ) at Alnwick, and a Tesla supercharger about 12 miles further North At Purdy Lodge 6 Bays.

 

[bloggsy]

If you use the A1 Towards Edinburgh. There is a 350kw ionity charger ( 4 bays ) at Alnwick, and a Tesla supercharger about 12 miles further North At Purdy Lodge 6 Bays.

I used the Ionity chargers at Alnwick a wee while ago and the codes I had for the Bonnet app didn't work but found my Octopus Juice card did. Although I got a slightly cheaper rate, it was still very expensive but I got a very fast charging speed and lunch at the nearby hotel (apologies but I can't remember its name) which was a Brewer's Fayre type of place.

For me, unless I'm travelling to/from Newcastle, I'll head West and use the chargers on the motorway. Decent price and I only had to wait once, in 6 visits to different motorway service stations, and even then it was only for 10 mins.

Cheers

Bloggsy

 

[EVready]

Not that useful for Ullapool, but if anyone happens to be heading up the east coast, then I’ve just got back from a trip to Orkney from Edinburgh - in my Renault Zoe, as don’t have my MG ZS yet. I rapid charged at the Ionity chargers on the Triangle in Perth (I think there were 4 charging points), then ChargePlace Scotland in Kingussie and Brora (2 CCS chargers each) with no queues or problems. The Tesla supercharger at Aviemore is one of the ones being trialled for other car makes so is also an option for anyone heading up the A9, though I avoided it as Kingussie CPS was much cheaper.

As folk have said above, a ChargePlace Scotland RFID card is a good move up here. I had issues using the app before I got one. And reliability isn’t fantastic, or at least out of order machines don’t seem to get fixed particularly quickly, but in my experience that seems to be more of a problem with their destination fast chargers than the CCS rapid ones.

 

[Gomev]

I used the Ionity chargers at Alnwick a wee while ago and the codes I had for the Bonnet app didn't work but found my Octopus Juice card did. Although I got a slightly cheaper rate, it was still very expensive but I got a very fast charging speed and lunch at the nearby hotel (apologies but I can't remember its name) which was a Brewer's Fayre type of place.

For me, unless I'm travelling to/from Newcastle, I'll head West and use the chargers on the motorway. Decent price and I only had to wait once, in 6 visits to different motorway service stations, and even then it was only for 10 mins.

Cheers

Bloggsy

You don't use the Bonnet app codes, it does them itself. Just charge using the app to start and end the charge and it will either use a code you have in your wallet or charge you the appropriate amount automatically.

 

[bloggsy]

You don't use the Bonnet app codes, it does them itself. Just charge using the app to start and end the charge and it will either use a code you have in your wallet or charge you the appropriate amount automatically.

Ahhhh! Thanks Gomev - that will come in useful the next time I have to use Bonnet

Many thanks.

Cheers

Bloggsy