Confessions of an EV/Tesla Fanboy: Who’s Dumber, Me or My Tesla?

I’m a substantial EV fanboy and have actually been driving electrical automobiles now for 8 years. I likewise have photovoltaic panels on my home, so I can boast that I’m driving on sunlight. I owned 3 Nissan Leafs, with series of 81 miles, 115 miles, and 150 miles. My very first Nissan Leaf had a 24 kWh battery. I now own a Tesla Design 3 Long Variety with an EPA variety score of 310 miles and a 75 kWh battery. It has 93,112 miles on the odometer. The longest journey I attempted to make with my 3 ^rd Nissan Leaf was 265 miles. Nevertheless, I now regularly make 1500-mile cross-country journeys with my Design 3, driving 500 miles/day much like I made with my gasmobile.

My recently fixed Tesla Design 3 at the Tesla Service Center in Pleasant Grove, Utah. April 5, 2023. Picture by Fritz Hasler

I paid $6000 additional for Complete Self Driving (FSD) when I bought my Design 3 in October of 2019.

To purchase FSD (beta) now costs $12,000. I utilized FSD fanatically when I initially got gain access to a number of months earlier, however I surpassed the limitation of 5 required disengagements and lost gain access to two times. I now just utilize FSD for brief regional journeys where it is of the majority of energy. I focus on monitoring its usage without as lots of diversions as turned up on longer journeys– like navigation modifications, consuming, choosing music, and so on. I have actually had no forced disengagements in the last 3 months.

Till a month earlier, I might boast that I had actually driven my Tesla for ~ 80,000 miles, regularly utilizing Complete Self Driving (beta) and never ever had a mishap.

Utilizing Tesla’s Traffic Aware Cruise Control, I observe that my Tesla decreases for slower moving automobiles and instantly stops behind the cars and truck in front of me at red light. I likewise have access to automated stopping at traffic lights and stop indications. This function does an extremely great task other than for stopping ~ 30 feet too early at some stop indications. Nevertheless, I have actually likewise check out how Teslas have actually raked into the back of fixed firetrucks and emergency situation lorries at complete speed where the Traffic Aware Cruise Control never ever attempted to stop the cars and truck. How could both circumstances hold true? I have actually likewise observed that often when I by hand cross the double yellow line in the middle of the roadway to prevent a pit or other blockage, I get a loud alarm caution and red flashing guiding wheel on the touchscreen and I am cautioned to take instant restorative action.

Here comes the part where I was foolish. I generally drive with my best foot resting gently on the accelerator. Complete Self Driving (beta) and even routine Traffic Aware Cruise Control will periodically do what we call phantom braking. I attempt to be constantly prepared to include some velocity so that I am not rear-ended by a cars and truck following me. Likewise, Complete Self Driving (beta) is regularly too shy at stop indications and I need to motivate it with a little accelerator pressure to combine securely into traffic on a hectic crossing street. This represents my best foot repeatedly resting gently on the accelerator.

Defining moment: Traffic Aware Cruise Control stopped my cars and truck instantly behind a cars and truck at a traffic light. While I was waiting on the light to turn green, I had a brain fart and was sidetracked. With my minor pressure on the accelerator I drove into the back of the cars and truck in front of me at, state, 3 miles per hour. Luckily, the cars and truck in front of me was a huge SUV and I did no damage to it. Sadly, 3 miles per hour was too quick for the front facia on my Tesla Design 3. Years earlier, automobiles in fact had bumpers that would endure a 3 miles per hour accident. Pickup still have tough bumpers. If you question why Tesla calls the bumpers on the front and back of the cars and truck facia and not bumpers, this is the factor. They are simply made from plastic and will be harmed by the tiniest contact with a things or another lorry. From the crash, I had a little dimple in my front facia and a couple of scratches in the paint to the underlying layers.

Concern? With all the electronic cameras in my cars and truck, the supercomputer, the ultrasonic sensing units in my front facia, and Tesla’s wise software application, why did I get no caution? The very same caution I get when crossing the yellow lines in the middle of the roadway would have been plenty for me to strike the brakes and prevent the accident.

The little dimple and minor scratches in my front facia were small enough that I would have overlooked it if my cars and truck wasn’t such a brand-new (3 years of ages) lovely cars and truck. Tesla will refrain from doing the majority of body work at their service centers. Nevertheless, they will change the front and rear facia when it comes to small damage. For that reason, I took my cars and truck into the Pleasant Grove Tesla Service Center just 4 miles from my home in Lindon, Utah. The price quote was $950 for a brand-new factory-painted front facia plus another ~$ 150 for labor. I have actually had paint remove repainted bumpers in the past, so you can comprehend the appeal of factory paint to me. Sadly, I had actually harmed the bracket that holds the radar in location, which cost me another ~$ 227.55. My problem that I have actually checked out various reports that the radar sensing unit is no longer utilized fell on deaf ears, so my overall expense was $1498.78 consisting of tax.

In the photo at the top, you see my perfectly fixed Tesla Design 3 in front of the Pleasant Grove Tesla Service Center where the replacement of the front facia was done. This service center opened around the very first of the year. The terrific part is I am just 4 miles from the brand-new service center and no longer need to drive to the Salt Lake City Service Center, which is 37 miles away. Sadly, throughout our summertimes in Northern Wisconsin, the closest service center remains in Madison 224 miles and 3.5 hours away. Luckily, we have family members there who we can check out if we require to go there for service.

If you look carefully at the photo at the top, you can see it is snowing. We have actually had snow here in the valley now for 7 days directly. The Alta ski resort is at 880 inches of snow for the season. Another storm will take it over 900 inches. The previous all-time record in the last 80 years was 745 inches in 1995. The environment is altering, and as forecasted, more international warming implies more rainfall, consisting of more snow.

The lucky part is that the front of my white Tesla Design 3 has no paint chips and now looks lovely once again, so my Tesla experience continues.

This experience raises another concern? When parking, the ultrasonic sensing units on the front and rear facia inform me the range to things and alert me to stop at the suitable time. Why do not I get automated braking or a minimum of an audible caution? I have actually just attempted the Smart Summon and Automatic Parking includes as soon as each. Maybe if I would regularly do autoparking in parking area, I would get some support.

Please inform me your stories of your small “fender-benders” or significant body deal with your Teslas in the remarks area listed below.