Day 3: Edinburgh (Scotland) → Inverness (Scotland)
We check out of our hotel – The Radisson Blu Edinburgh – at midday with a full destination charge.
Today we drive the 200 km north towards Inverness. We had planned to take a more scenic and rural route via Balmoral Castle but as we left Edinburgh the rain and mist was heavier than forecast and we also realised that this far north sunset was at 15.45 today.
Leaving at midday is too late for sightseeing – and it would be too dark to enjoy much of the scenery en-route. We'll have the opportunity to catch this route later in the week.
We therefore took the easier A9 to Inverness – which is dual carriage way for most of the route.
Stopping at IONITY Perth for a quick safety charge – totally not required now that we were not going the more remote route – but used the time to grab a coffee and quick bite at the nearby – and busy – Starbucks.
Before continuing along the A9 for the easy two hour drive to Inverness. There is almost continuous average speed camera's along this route – so we left Innodrive do its thing and keep us honest!
Arriving into the town as the sun was setting and headed for our overnight hotel – Ness Walk Hotel.
The hotel has an impressive array of chargers – 9 x 22kW AC charges and 2 x 50kW DC chargers. I don't think I've ever seen a 50kW charger – or two – that are reserved for hotel guests.
All the chargers are paid options and I used my Shell re-charge mobility card on the recommendation of the staff there that said they know for sure they work – alongside a number of other Mobility Providers.
Shell don't add a "time" element to using these chargers so that was more attractive for a destination charger than Porsche Charging Service. This is my first time using Shell re-charge which bills a direct debit monthly against our bank account when there is something to invoice.
I assumed I'd have to move when finished with the 50kW but staff said they aren't in that much of demand and if they were they knew where to find me.
And enjoyed some of the "free" champagne on offer!
The days charging stats:
| Location | Start SOC % | End SOC % | kWh added | Cost | Duration | Ambient Temp | Battery Temp | Charger Type | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IONITY Perth | 79% | 94% | 19.31 | GBP£ 5.79 | 29 mins | 6C | 31C | DC 150kW | IONITY |
| Ness Walk Hotel | 49% | 100% | 47.54 | GBP£ 19.80 | 1 hour 22 minutes | 2.5C | 35C | DC 50kW | Shell Recharg |
Today we did 258km over 4:10 hours, with an average speed of 63km/h, consuming 23.6 kWh/100km.
