A highland charge
With some electric cars you don't want to travel too far from the metropolis, but the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron is perfectly at home in the UK's more remote corners
WORDS: JOHN C SILCOX
PHOTOGRAPHY: FRED MACGREGOR
STORY FIRST APPEARED HERE IN AUDI MAGAZINE
The rapid spread of electric car charging points across the UK is making low-carbon driving increasingly accessible to all drivers, wherever they live. According to the website Zap-Map, there are 9465 public charging points at 3580 different locations across the UK, with more being installed all the time.
After conquering the cities, electric infrastructure is starting to reach more remote locations too. Even in far-flung parts of the Scottish Highlands it is now possible to plug in your electric car, which is something we put to the test by
driving an Audi A3 Sportback e-tron up to the newly installed charging point in Kilchoan – the most westerly village on mainland Britain and one of the most isolated places in the country.
Kilchoan is situated on the end of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean between the Isles of Mull and Skye, more than 140 miles north of Glasgow. Unless you take a ferry, there is only one way to reach it: a winding road that goes all the way from Fort William and becomes a single track, with passing points only, for a stretch of more than 40 miles.
‘We call that the long way,’ says Richie Dinnes, a local postman and Audi driver. ‘It’s an incredibly beautiful road that runs past the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter films, and down along the edge of the water of Loch Sunart. But to save time most people here normally choose to take a ferry.’
Not us however, and despite the lumpy surface, potholes and many hairpins, the A3 drives comfortably, holding the road extremely well and inspiring confidence. The batteries are cleverly located under the rear seats and help give the car a balanced feel, while still allowing for 280 litres of luggage space.
On steep inclines the 1.4 TFSI engine combines impressively with the 75kw electric motor, producing a total 204PS of power and 350Nm of torque. This is then relayed to the front wheels by a smooth and swift-changing six-speed S tronic electronic transmission, which makes quick work of the high mountains and deep valleys that dictate the lie of the tarmac.
‘For centuries Kilchoan used to only be accessible by sea,’ says Jon Haylett, a retired teacher living in the village who runs a number of local news websites. ‘But it got its first road link at the start of the 19th century. Ferries still play a big role in life here, especially as winter storms can bring down trees and cut the village off by road for weeks at a time.’
It is telling that the charging point is located on the small ferry pier, but it does mean you can make practical use of your time while waiting for one of the three ferries that come each day in winter, travelling between Kilchoan and Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.
The A3 Sportback e-tron’s lithium-ion battery charges from empty to full capacity in approximately two hours and 15 minutes using a public charging point or a home wall box. Using a normal domestic three-pin socket, it will take around four hours. A full charge offers up to 31 miles of pure electric driving, at speeds of up to 81mph.
The charging point is not the only technology changing life for the locals. Jon talks about the way the area is being revived thanks to modern technology. ‘New businesses are cropping up all around the area offering internet-based services,’ he explains. ‘There is also a village learning centre that offers a wide number of courses and even university degrees thanks to video conferencing. With the arrival of superfast broadband in 2016 this is set to continue, and means that there are wider career opportunities for locals wanting to stay.’
However, cars remain vital to those in this remote community. ‘Locals don’t think twice before going to far-off places like Inverness [130 miles away] for a day’s shopping trip,’ says Jon.
Pure electric cars would struggle for range, but not the Audi A3 e-tron: its 580-mile** range can cope comfortably with long journeys. And with the ability tosprint from 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 138mph, Audi’s engineers certainly haven’t compromised when it comes to performance…
The e-tron’s superb range is especially welcome in such a remote area: ‘Fuel prices are through the roof up here because of transport costs,’ says Jon. ‘Based on pure economics, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of my neighbours getting a hybrid car before long.’
