With an intense schedule of flights, journeys, events and meetings, there comes a time when you need to get away. With Scotland in mind for its stunning scenery, tranquility and amazing roads we charged up our 90D using a Tesla Supercharger whilst dining in London and got home with 275 miles of charge left on the dash.
With the “D” standing for Dual motors and the “90” representing the Kilowatts of power on tap, the Tesla sprints from 0-60 in a very brisk 4.2 seconds. Utilising the 4 wheel drive system and its linear electric power, you are off the line in a jiffy. This time though, it was more about endurance and actually testing the range of such a car. The destination of Glasgow City as a stopping point was a good 450 miles away.
We planned our trip in a way that allowed us to stop for a quick coffee, grab a bite to eat and charge the car. When inputting a final destination, the Tesla will automatically suggest stopping points to charge and will indicate how much battery you would have remaining when you arrive to such charging points or your final destination.
During the drive North, the incredible Autopilot feature took most of the hard work on for us and it was almost like being chauffeured. Using this drivers aid is an incredible way to cover the miles in comfort and ease. The assistive cruise control coupled with Tesla’s lane assist basically equals 360 degree support for the driver. It knows when you have a car in front or behind. It even detects cars indicating and coming into the lane in front of you. On top of that, on the digital dash you are able to see what type of vehicle/s you have either side of you. The fact that the 90D is picking up all of this information makes you feel certain of its capabilities as your driving assistant and you are instructed to keep your hands on the wheel, although it does make reaching for the coffee an easy task. The car will disable Autopilot should you fail to keep your hands on the wheel and/or ignore prompts to hold the wheel whilst the car is in motion. It’s scary how well Autopilot works in these cars.
Once we reached our second charging stop, we pulled in to Abington services, which is scenic as you would expect for 40 miles away from Glasgow. Beautiful snowcapped mountains surround you and the air is fresh and crisp to breathe. The good thing about the capacity of the Tesla battery is that it’s balanced for the human, i.e driving more then 260-280 miles in one go is tiring; especially considering the length of the drive to Scotland. Our charging stops were also for “us” to recharge too, and It would often benefit us to get a quick power nap or pull out the laptop and do some mails whilst the car was charging. The full charge can be done in around 1 hour, which is mind blowing. The car charges at a rapid rate but note that you will only get this type of speed from the Tesla Superchargers.
Once we had found ourselves in the centre of Glasgow, there were chargers in all directions should we have needed them.
During sunset in the city on our final night, we parked up and looked out at the beautiful university of Glasgow, with its “Hogwarts” like castle looks. The trip was done with ease, almost easier than driving a petrol car this far. The one difference was actually for the better and that was the fact that we had a moment to stop and rest during the drive. We also toured further north towards Loch Lomond and many other beautiful spots within 20-30 minutes of the city. Some of my favourite roads to drive and some of my favourite scenery to behold made this trip a perfect break in the busy schedule.
Here are a few notes from Tesla on the extensive Supercharger network.
Tesla currently has over 270 Supercharger stations with 1800 individual Superchargers across Europe, covering all major motorway routes.
“In less than a year, more than 1,000 Destination Chargers have opened since Tesla first launched its Destination Charging programme in Europe. Tesla designed an extensive charging network so that all customers have access to Tesla wall connector when they are away from home.”
With the Destination Charging programme, Tesla has further enhanced the charging experience by teaming up with hotels, resorts and restaurants around the world. Destination Chargers add up to 60 miles of range per hour, enough time for owners to ski or shop while their vehicles recharge.
More information on this brilliant piece of technology at Tesla Motors.
MR. GOODLIFE
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