Westward Ho 2025 in Our Tesla Mannequin 3

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My spouse and I spend our summers in at our lake home in Northern Wisconsin. We’ve got 4 children, 12 grandkids, and 5 nice grandkids. All of them collect from throughout the nation to spend time with us there. Sitting on the pier and water snowboarding are a giant a part of our actions, as you’ll be able to see beneath.

Utah has an equal draw to us. It’s the place I taught alpine snowboarding for 10 years (see me in uniform beneath with my grandson pupil). And the surroundings and ebiking in each northern Utah, the place we’ve got our residence, and southern Utah, the place our daughter’s house is positioned, is spectacular.

With our two houses drawing us, we’ve got commuted the 1,551 miles between them in our Tesla Mannequin 3 now for six years, or 12 whole journeys. I simply turned 85 this yr, so I can do rather a lot fewer issues now than I might do after I was youthful. My steadiness is compromised from an accident in 2017, however in some way when using my ebike, I nonetheless really feel like I’m 20 years outdated. Nonetheless, which means we’re hauling two ebikes backwards and forwards throughout the nation.

On October 3, 2025, we have been headed west from Wisconsin for the 6^th time. Nonetheless, there all the time needs to be a brand new wrinkle. We bought Full Self Driving (FSD) for $6,000 after we took supply on our Mannequin 3 in October of 2019. Nonetheless, it wasn’t completely activated for a few years. Nonetheless, for over 4 years, my spouse and I’ve been obsessively utilizing what’s now known as Full Self Driving (Supervised). I drive the entire 1,551 miles myself, and FSD makes the duty a lot simpler for an outdated individual. This yr, with the 2 ebikes on the service behind the automotive, we pulled out of our driveway in northern Wisconsin solely to learn that the rear digicam was obstructed and Full Self Driving couldn’t be activated. Are you kidding me? It had been working simply wonderful for six years — what had gone fallacious? I assumed that it was a “function” (not a bug) of the most recent model of the working system and we must do with out FSD Supervised for the entire 1,551 miles to Utah. I rapidly decided that good cruise and steering help have been nonetheless working and paged via the working system controls till I used to be in a position to flip the navigation voice help again on.

Our first cease this time could be Madison, Wisconsin, the place each my spouse and I grew up and the place two of my brothers stay in addition to two grandchildren who’re attending the College of Wisconsin, Madison. In the meantime, I’m doing a Google search to see if anybody else has had the issue with FSD and if there may be any treatment. I learn that folks have had success taping over the rear digicam simply above the license plate. Are you kidding me? How might taping over the digicam treatment an issue attributable to obstructing the digicam? With no different choices, I purchased a roll of black electrical tape at Ace {Hardware} and taped over the digicam. Miracle! FSD Supervised was working once more.

The opposite drawback we’ve got had with FSD Supervised on lengthy journeys is that we are inclined to lose entry to it. Should you take a look at the management display screen, your cellphone, away from the street, down, and so forth. for too lengthy, you lose entry to FSD Supervised for the present drive. It is advisable pull off the street and put the automotive in park earlier than you regain entry once more. Should you do that greater than 5 instances, you lose entry for precisely 7 days. It’s not good to lose entry to FSD Supervised and in addition steering help in the course of an extended journey. Nonetheless, there may be nearly all the time some distraction, like choosing your favourite music or asking the navigation to inform you what number of miles it’s to your ultimate vacation spot, that causes it to occur. You get warnings, however in the end, it sneaks up on you. We had misplaced FSD Supervised on day 1 of the journey to Wisconsin final spring. Nonetheless, we have been more than happy to make the entire journey with out shedding entry on our manner west.

Supercharger Entry

It’s been 6 years now and tons of of Supercharging stops, and we’ve got by no means discovered a Supercharger out of operation and even absolutely occupied. Nonetheless, we did have an in depth name on this journey. There are 6 or extra charging stations at each Supercharger between northern Wisconsin and Utah, besides one — the Supercharger in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which has solely 4 stalls. To begin with, it’s a must to pull off of Interstate 80 and drive via city for 7 miles to get to the Supercharger.

As we approached Cheyenne, I started to examine the supply of stalls on the Supercharger. No drawback — there have been two of the 4 unoccupied. However then there was just one unoccupied. After which none. At that time, a bit of clock face seems which I assume implies that it’s a must to plan on a wait. Nonetheless, after we lastly arrived, all 4 stalls have been open. Apparently, all 4 vehicles had simply left. So, our report stays unbroken — 6 years and by no means a Supercharger out of order or absolutely occupied. (You do perceive the implications of a Supercharger out of order. You arrive with solely 5 to fifteen miles of vary left and if the charger is out of order with out warning, you’re screwed. You don’t have sufficient vary to make the following charger, so you could have solely two choices: 1) A two-day cost at L1, 110V, or a flatbed trailer elevate to the following charger. Thankfully, in 6 years that we’ve got owned our Mannequin 3, this has by no means occurred to us.)

Wind Farms on I-80

It’s actually superb what number of wind farms there are on our route on I-80. Most are in Iowa, however you see them additionally in Nebraska and components of Wyoming. It’s arduous for instance photographically the large scale of the wind farms on I-80 whereas driving and making an attempt to not lose entry to FSD Supervised, however you see a few of my makes an attempt within the composite beneath.

Not solely did we see huge wind farms in Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming on I-80, however we noticed at the very least 4 completely different turbine blades on the transfer. You see one at a relaxation space in Nebraska within the photographs beneath. Apparently, they have been headed each east and west.

Different New Stuff on Our Route

We noticed our first V4 Supercharger stalls on the West De Moines, Iowa Supercharger as you see within the picture beneath. You’ll be able to see the longer cables. These are a welcome enchancment for us touring with bikes on the again. They will even be welcome to different non-standard autos. Additionally, there was usually a Cybertruck on the Superchargers the place we have been charging as you additionally see one within the composite picture beneath. I didn’t see any non-Teslas charging, however I did discuss to a Ford Lightning proprietor who was making an attempt to plug in on the Cheyenne, Wyoming Supercharger. I used to be sorry to tell him that every one the Superchargers on I-80 in Wyoming are of the V2 or earlier classic that may’t be utilized by non-Tesla autos.

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