I test drove an electric car on the North Coast 500 and it was brilliant - until I hit trouble

It was a daunting challenge - to drive an electric car nearly 600 miles in two days between Inverness and Edinburgh via the North Coast 500 (NC500), and hope the chargers worked along the way.

But the route was also an exhilarating prospect, made more so by being behind the wheel of a BMW i5 “executive saloon”, lent to me so I could take part in the EV [electric vehicle] Rally of Scotland.

The rally is not a race but an annual endurance event to showcase EVs’ potential for company fleets, even in remote areas.

Alastair Dalton taking a break from driving an electric BMW i5 on the lower slopes of the mountain pass to Applecross on the North Coast 500 on Thursday | John Devlin/The Scotsman

It was to become an odyssey that featured views even more spectacular than I’d hoped, together with the thrill of of one of Scotland’s most dramatic mountain roads - and then a sudden, unexpected twist that set me off on an entirely different journey home.

With The Scotsman audio visual specialist John Devlin accompanying me, our car was among some 20 vehicles starting the rally from Inverness on Thursday morning.

Alastair Dalton at the start of the EV Rally of Scotland in Inverness on Thursday | John Devlin/The Scotsman

We were due to follow much of the NC500 clockwise as far as Thurso, then continue round and on to the capital on Friday.

The rally route followed much of the North Coast 500 - although Alastair Dalton started with the NC500's south west leg via Applecross (not shown) | EVROS

A rain warning that had threatened to wipe out all views had been lifted early, with the blustery winds and sunshine treating us instead to Highland scenery at its most breathtaking, the light constantly changing as it vividly illuminated one side of a hill as cloud enveloped another.

That striking panorama unfolded as we headed south west along the A832 from Achnasheen, enhanced by the smoothness of some newly-resurfaced sections of the single carriageway before it narrowed to more and more single-track stretches.

The views opening up heading west on the North Coast 500 | John Devlin/The Scotsman

Loch Kishorn from the North Coast 500 near Kishorn | John Devlin/The Scotsman

The experience was further improved by driving an electric car - its quietness, smoothness and being so easy to drive reducing the stress of motoring.

Some models, like the BMW i5, take that one step further with “regenerative” braking, which means only having to use one pedal for much of the time.

Lift your foot off the accelerator and the car automatically slows, the energy used in braking returned to the battery instead.

The responsiveness of an electric car also gave me all the power I needed when tackling the epic mountain pass on the Applecross peninsula, reputedly the UK’s steepest as it rises from sea level to 2,054ft in fewer than four miles.

Known as the Bealach-Na-Bà, or Pass of the Cattle, with its Alpine-like hairpins, it’s thrilling rather than scary, especially as you don’t have to worry about constantly having to change gear in an EV.

The North Coast 500 east of Applecross on Thursday | John Devlin/The Scotsman

But while the road is fine if you take care, it’s other drivers you need to watch out for - and I was alarmed to encounter on the pass not just a lack of single track road etiquette, but some downright dangerous manoeuvres.

The Bealach-Na-Bà mountain pass near Applecross on Thursday | John Devlin/The Scotsman

Faced with a queue of oncoming traffic, I saw impatient motorists driving towards us with two wheels off the side of the road on its rocky edge - some at risk of grounding their cars - to get past between passing places.

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Alas, shortly after clearing the summit and within two miles of Applecross, we suffered a puncture, and the rally was all over for us.

The car being recovered from near Applecross by a Lochcarron Garage tow truck | John Devlin/The Scotsman

Due to the remoteness of our location and the time taken for the car to be recovered, there was no hope of us being able to continue with the tour.

However, we were ably assisted by the AA, who were providing rally back-up, and the friendly team at Lochcarron Garage - with unforgettable, heart-in-the-mouth views from the cab of one of its tow trucks as the driver expertly drove us back down the pass through those hairpins.

We had only managed 80 miles, but it was enough to give us a vivid sample of the NC500 - and a thirst to see more of the route by EV another day.

Our early exit from the event meant we did not have a chance to test the availability of electric chargers on the route, but other teams on the rally did not report any major problems.

The number of chargers has increased significantly since the RAC Foundation reported a range of problems on the NC500 in 2020. However, officials on the rally reported some chargers temporarily out of action in a few places.

The other teams taking part included from Scottish Water, ScotRail, Highland Council, Motability Operations and Transport Scotland.

Gavin Thomson, chief operating officer of Motability Operations, which provides vehicles for people with disabilities, was part of its team driving a Peugeot E-Rifter wheelchair-accessible vehicle (eWAV).

He said: “We used the vehicle so we could see what’s possible and understand some of the barriers our customers are facing when they’re thinking about switching to electric.”

A total of 5,000 of the firm’s customers have EVs in Scotland and it has the largest EV fleet in the UK.

Mr Thomson said: “The route has been demanding but really good fun. I was quite apprehensive about the range of the vehicle and charging en route, but I think we’ve proved how far you can go in an eWAV.” 

Fellow team member and Motability Scheme customer Matthew Evans said: “The public charging infrastructure on the route has been really good and the information at the charging points has been clear.

“The biggest learning for me on this trip is about planning ahead. You’ve got to consider where you’re going to charge and take breaks. I’d like to see the public charging infrastructure expand more quickly so our customers won’t need to plan their journeys as much in the future.

“There is still a lot of work to be done on accessibility of the charging points - we’ve found there are uneven surfaces and raised kerbs. It has been really hard for me to access the charging points independently and the team have had to support me with charging the eWAV.”