Driving the Outer Hebrides by EV

We live just outside Preston, halfway between London and Glasgow. We drove from home to Melrose in the Scottish Borders – my wife’s parents are from the Borders and we went to see some old haunts and failed to find her aunt’s grave. Then we drove to Oban (via the Falkirk Wheel) for an overnight stay before the ferry to Barra. The direct ferry was booked up so we were on the one that stopped at Coll and Tiree on the way and was thus 7 hours long.

The day after we drove to Vatersay for me to start my cycle. I had 6 days of cycling to get to Stornoway (I missed out the final leg up to the Butt of Lewis), with a rest day in Tarbert on Harris. Then we took the afternoon ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool and drove on to the Premier Inn at Aviemore. Then the day after drove to an overnight at Pine restaurant in Northumberland, which we have wanting to visit via seeing some friends in Edinburgh. Then home the following morning.

For charging I topped up at a slow charger overnight at Burt’s Hotel in Melrose. In Oban I met the only issue we had – the charger at the ferry terminal would not take a contactless payment but I just drove to a fast charger on the edge of town for a top up.

We stayed at Langass Lodge on North Uist. They had just had a charger installed but it was not properly switched on. No problem, I wasn’t expecting it and had no real need to charge. Instead I charged at the ferry terminal at Leverburgh on Harris whilst we had something to eat at the Isle of Harris Brewery next door. On the morning before our ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool we charged in the car park next to the ferry terminal.

The Premier Inn in Aviemore had a charger on site for a top up. From there we could probably just about have got home but we had a quick top up at the M6 services at Killington Lake whilst we had a coffee and loo break.

Everything around the EV was very easy. Just the one issue with a charger, but there was a nearby alternative and there would have been options on Barra had we not been able to charge. There are not huge numbers of chargers on the Outer Hebrides – hardly surprising given the small population but plenty enough for anyone to visit by EV with confidence.

I didn’t keep a record of how many miles we did. The straightforward journey was around 1,000 miles but my wife was driving around the islands as I cycled so we probably did more like 1,300.

*Range anxiety is something which these days I only see in people who do not drive EVs. There are enough EV cars now with decent range (over 200 miles) that it’s not really an issue. It’s not something I think about in any great detail. When I drove ICE cars I would generally start to think about filling up when the tank got down to about a quarter full. These days with an EV I generally look at topping up when I stop for another reason, overnight, to visit somewhere or take a comfort break. But I don’t go out of my way to top up if there is nothing immediately to hand.

Obviously experience with EVs will be different in different countries. For example it’s probably difficult these days to hire a car in Norway which is not an EV, but in some Eastern European countries the infrastructure will be a lot less developed. But I hope the above reassures anyone travelling in the UK that EVs are very much a practical alternative, even in the remote parts of Scotland

Thanks for sharing.

I have an EV, but it's a slightly older model (2022 Volvo), so its range isn't as good as the newer models. I mostly drive in the city and plug in at home in a regular outlet, because I don't usually need to charge quickly, and I have solar panels, so I can set the charging to happen during daylight hours. However, even here in anti-renewable Alberta, it's not that difficult to find a charger when you need one, and some hotels have chargers in their parking lots.

That is a very helpful breakdown. I would be one of those people with no EV experience who would definitely be nervous taking that on. But it’s like any new thing, the first time’s the hardest! I was just in Shetland and Orkney and noticed the chargers available - it would have worked.

I find that driving an EV on vacation has a certain pace and rhythm to it. I have had an EV for 5 years and we have taken many road trips. All of them except the last one included just my husband and I. We are totally okay with periodic stops. We take a walk, read our books, have a meal out or a picnic while charging. This pace suits us. Our last trip (return from Portland to SF Bay Area) we had two grandchildren with us and were meeting up periodically with one son along the way. We also had less time for the trip. I ended up driving faster and then had to charge more often. Not at all the way I like to do it. Lesson learned. BTW, the grandchildren were very very patient with the charging.

Katie - that's quite a different approach to the one we take. There was only one occasion on our trip when I waited with the car for a charge and that was only around 20 minutes. And only because the more convenient charger would not accept our contactless card in Oban - had it done we would have left the car whilst we ate. Every other time the charging was done whilst we were doing something else we would have done anyway.

BB - we nearly always charge up at home. Having solar panels, a stored energy battery and discounted electricity prices overnight we pay next to nothing for nearly all our charging. Whilst you might have an older car with a lower range should you hire a car elsewhere it will almost certainly be a nearly new car with probably better range.

Texastravelmom - trying to reassure those that are not used to driving EVs was why I made the post. I have seen so many posts, particularly about travel in the Scottish Highlands and Islands where posters will advise against EVs despite having little or no practical experience.