Westward Ho! First Journey Cross Nation with Our New 2026 Tesla Mannequin Y & Full Self Driving V14

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We have been headed west once more for the 6^th time, driving the ~1500 miles from our lake home in Northern Wisconsin to our winter house close to the grandchildren in Northern Utah. We had totaled our 2019 Tesla Mannequin 3 in an accident in Could; due to this fact, this was our first highway journey in our new 2026 Mannequin Y operating Full Self Driving V14. As standard, we have been carrying two large ebikes on the again. We plan to pause in Utah at our house for a number of days after which on to Portland, Oregon, and the Pacific Ocean.

The expertise was fairly totally different this time due to the brand new automobile and the numerous improve to Tesla’s driving automation: Full Self Driving Supervised V14.3.12.

As we approached our first Supercharger in Wausau, Wisconsin, it seemed just like the navigation was taking us the incorrect means. Nevertheless, as soon as we received to our regular exit, it was closed. We needed to drive a number of miles past it, do a U-turn, and are available again. It price us roughly an additional 5 miles. I’m going to need to be taught to belief the navigation. The Nav is aware of about highway closures like this and even visitors jams. Sadly, it doesn’t clarify forward of time why it’s suggesting an alternate route.

Our first cease was on the Wausau, Wisconsin Supercharger subsequent to the Hilton Gardens Inn on freeway NN. In 7 years, we’ve by no means seen various automobiles charging there. For the primary time, the charging station was full (see photograph under). It was Sunday after a giant fall-colors week in Northern Wisconsin and plenty of vacationers have been headed house. On our display, it gave a charger wait time of 5 minutes. As we drove the final 100 miles to Wausau, our pc display alternated between exhibiting an unspecified wait time and as many as two stalls open.

Once we arrived, it listed two stalls as open, however, in actual fact, for almost the primary time throughout the final seven years that we’ve been Supercharging, all eight stalls have been full. Nevertheless, right here’s the great half: inside lower than 5 minutes, one of many automobiles pulled out and we have been capable of again into the empty stall. Then, the dangerous half: it was the slowest cost we’ve ever skilled. It was an older V2 {hardware} Supercharger the place you’ll want to share charging with the adjoining automobile. That meant that we have been charging at solely a 50-kilowatt pace for the entire cost. The entire cost took about 40 minutes. Nevertheless, after the toilet break and strolling our small rescue canine, Zuni, we solely wanted to kill about quarter-hour earlier than setting off once more.

The following cease was Menomonee, Wisconsin, midway to Minneapolis and the charger was exhibiting three empty stalls. Since, as I discussed, we have been touring on a Sunday, a stupendous day, with full fall colours within the Northwoods, we discovered one other Supercharger that seemed to be full (see under), however there was one stall empty and we pulled in. Once we got here east in mid-Could, there have been seldom a couple of or two automobiles in any of the 12 Superchargers en route.

The Menomonee Supercharger has a more recent {Hardware} 4 charger, so we have been charging sooner, at virtually 100 kW throughout our complete cost. As we pulled out, there have been about three automobiles ready, however the line moved shortly. Nobody needed to wait various minutes. Then we have been on our option to Minneapolis.

About 20 miles east of Minneapolis, crossing the Saint Croix River on the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota, half the lanes of the bridge have been shut down. The navigation took us on a city of Henderson detour happening highways U and UU, then again onto the I-90 route throughout the bridge. It most likely saved time avoiding the worst of the visitors backup due to the closure on the bridge. Then we have been on an east–west route proper via the middle of Saint Paul–Minneapolis. Full Self Driving V14 with Tesla navigation discovered its means via the large metropolis freeways completely.

As we left the Minneapolis Supercharger, we couldn’t get Full Self Driving to work! It stated “FSD Briefly Unavailable.” Nevertheless, quickly lasted for a really very long time. We went via an extended troubleshooting course of with Ara (the Grok bot) and with Tesla Buyer Service on the telephone. Not solely did FSD fail to work, but it surely was reporting a pace restrict of 15 mph when the precise pace restrict was 65 mph. First, we stopped, put the automobile in park, and did the two-scroll button reboot. No luck. Then we have been instructed to make use of the menu to reboot the automobile. No luck. Then we tried to recalibrate the cameras as prompt, but it surely was nighttime and the calibration wouldn’t end. Not solely was FSD not working, however sensible cruise management additionally did not function. Nevertheless, after partial re-calibration of the cameras, it did restore sensible cruise management.

On day two of our cross-country journey, we left Worthington within the southwest nook of Minnesota on I-90, passing via an enormous wind turbine area (see under) with a whole bunch of generators on the north aspect of the highway simply as we received into South Dakota.

A short while later, we noticed a wind turbine tower manufacturing unit with a whole bunch of turbine tower sections laid down as you see within the photograph.

As we started our drive via South Dakota we had sensible cruise management, however no FSD.

The primary Supercharger cease in South Dakota was at Murdo. I went into the pharmacy within the adjoining grocery store and acquired some medical tape and taped over the again digital camera. I did this as a result of we discovered that, with our older automobile, surprisingly, taping over the again digital camera was the one option to get full FSD to work with bikes on the again.

We restarted the digital camera celebration, which had failed the evening earlier than in the dead of night. This time we noticed the little grey steering wheel icon within the upper-left-hand nook of the display. A blue circle begins on the backside across the icon, and it progresses all the best way round to point that the calibration is in progress. Nevertheless, when it was virtually full, it began over on the midway level. It oscillated backwards and forwards a number of occasions for nearly an hour earlier than it lastly accomplished the calibration and we received FSD again! We had misplaced FSD for the higher a part of two days of our 1500-mile journey. Since we pay $99/month for FSD, will Tesla give us a refund?????

Our cease in the course of South Dakota was on the Supercharger in Wall, house of the well-known Wall Drugstore. See my spouse and our Tesla with the bikes on the Supercharger within the photograph under.

We charged in Wall, South Dakota, and drove one other 80 miles to the wildlife loop at Custer State Park. There, “we ran with the bulls” — I imply, we ran with the bison (buffalo). We have been driving proper in the course of a giant bison herd, as you see within the images under.

My spouse noticed a whole bunch of pronghorns on our journey west, and the go to to Custer State Park wouldn’t be full with out seeing one, in addition to feeding and petting the donkeys.

We made it by 8:00 pm to the tiny city of Lusk, Wyoming, the place a four-stall Supercharger is throughout the road from the Pioneer Finest Western the place we spent the evening. The following morning, we have been in japanese Wyoming, the place we have been following double railroad tracks used to ship coal from the large, high-quality, low-sulfur coal deposits in northeast Wyoming to energy vegetation farther east.

“Coal Space — The Powder River Basin spans over 1,000 sq. miles, making it one of many largest coal-producing areas within the US,” Google shares. “Depth of Coal Beds — Coal beds within the area might be as thick as 250 ft, with solely 120 ft of soil overburden.”

The images under present one of many unit coal trains bringing coal from the Powder River Basin as we handed. Clear energy is on the rise, however coal continues to be an essential a part of electrical technology in the USA.

Powder Basin coal can be going to the Dave Johnson energy plant in japanese Wyoming that we handed. It’s an 817 MW plant that was scheduled to close down subsequent 12 months (2027). Nevertheless, the Trump administration has “rescued” it and it received’t shut down or be transformed to gasoline for a minimum of a pair extra years.

On the third day of our journey, FSD was working and we stopped to cost at Evansville close to Casper, Wyoming. Then we handed Devils Hole, Independence Rock, and the pioneer handcart firm memorial on our option to Rawlins. At Rock Springs, I left my spouse on the TJ Max whereas I charged on the Tesla Supercharger 100 yards away. The ultimate charger was in Evanston, Wyoming, after which we crossed the Utah border and handed Park Metropolis, Heber, and drove down Provo Canyon to our winter house in Lindon simply north of Provo (30 miles south of Salt Lake Metropolis). It took three 500-mile days to make the journey.

Abstract: Our new 2026 Tesla Mannequin Y appeared to cost a bit of slower than our previous Tesla Mannequin 3 Lengthy Vary. Nevertheless, it appeared to have longer battery vary. This meant that we may usually journey as quick as 80 mph, whereas beforehand we by no means exceeded 75 mph and sometimes needed to decelerate as little as 60 mph to make the following charger — in our previous Mannequin 3 with the bikes on the again. FSD was a pleasure, maintaining the automobile exactly in the course of the lane, passing automobiles, and returning to the right-hand lane simply as I’d do myself … besides when FSD did not work for a giant a part of two days throughout the journey. I’m 86, and it was a pressure maintaining the automobile centered within the lane and maintaining a foot on the accelerator when FSD wasn’t working.

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For those who discover any of my articles useful to you, please use my referral hyperlink when shopping for a brand new Tesla: https://ts.la/arthur73734 (Make sure you use it while you make your order). Tesla retains altering this system, however right here’s the most recent: If you’re shopping for a brand new Tesla Mannequin 3 or Y and use my hyperlink, you’ll get two months of free Full Self Driving (a ~$200 worth) on prime of the one month that comes free with each new Mannequin Y proper now. This may get you a complete of three months free Full Self Driving. It is going to be $99/month after that. For a Cybertruck, you’ll get $1000 off your buy value. At this second, Tesla is providing a 12 months of free Supercharging with the acquisition of a brand new Mannequin 3 Premium or Efficiency.