In the olden days there was a mystique around "hitting the ton" in a car. And when you consider the road-worthiness of your Austin Allegro, Morris Marina, Vauxhall Viva and the likes, no wonder it was something special. Hitting the ton - 100 mph - would entail shaking bodywork, screaming engines, vibrating steering wheels and a general sense that this was an accident waiting to happen (and, needless to say, a racetrack on which to try it, or a time machine to transport you back to pre-1966 before the introduction of the 70 mph limit!). 

How things have changed in modern cars. Any modern family car will happily cruise along (an autobahn) at 100 mph all day long. The old Mercedes that I traded in for the Renault ZOE I don't think in the four or five years we had it ever got to within 40 mph of its top speed. Doing the ton is not nearly the challenge it once was.

So... I have in my electric vehicle decided to twist that challenge. The challenge in hitting the ton for me is now to do 100 miles in a single charge. 

On Monday, after working in the morning, I decided to take the rest of the day off and so the kids and I bundled into the Renault to embark on a trip around Aberdeenshire visiting six different castles and homes. The itinerary was around 94 miles, but I knew we would do a bit more than that. Along the way there was only one charging point we might be able to use in an emergency. But I was confident... the video shows our journey. 

We were very close to a completely depleted battery... but we hit the ton, completing 101.2 miles on a single charge and made it home safely after a super day in which I visited castles that Carolyn and I used to visit pre-children. A real trip down memory lane for me, and a fresh adventure for the children. It was a beautiful day for it, though the temperature dropped mighty fast once the sun went down which did get me a little nervous for the last leg back home...