Cross Nation with Tesla Full Self Driving (Supervised)

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My spouse, our small canine, and our two massive e-bikes not too long ago made the 1500-mile journey from Utah to Northern Wisconsin in our Tesla Mannequin 3 Lengthy Vary. It was our first cross-country journey with the brand new Model 12 of Tesla FSD (Supervised), V12.3.4.

Supercharging

The e-bikes on a tray-type bike rack in again drastically scale back our efficient most vary from about 250 miles to about 125 miles. Happily, Tesla’s marvelous Supercharger community nonetheless makes it a no brainer and straightforward to handle. We stopped at six Superchargers in Wyoming on the 600-mile first day touring from Lindon, Utah, to Custer, South Dakota. Solely the 125-mile leg from the Supercharger in Rawlins to the Evansville (Casper) Supercharger required dropping our pace from our normal 75 mph to 65 mph to make it comfortably. The bikes additionally make backing as much as the Superchargers troublesome. It’s a bit of bit like the issue charging a Cybertruck. My spouse must get out and assist me again up simply the correct amount. Happily, 4 of the 6 Superchargers had drive-by chargers on one finish (see Determine 1).

Additionally, there was at most one different Tesla charging on the Wyoming Superchargers, so I might park sideways, which additionally allowed me to place my automotive relative to a charger with out assist (see Determine 2).

The entire chargers besides one had been inside 100 ft of a really good resort/motel with entry to the restrooms, as proven in Determine 1.

The opposite was a number of hundred yards from my spouse’s favourite retailer: a TJ Maxx (see Determine 3). I dropped her off there earlier than I went to cost. Normally, by the point I had walked into the motel, taken my rest room break, walked again and my spouse had taken our canine for a stroll, we had solely 10–quarter-hour of charging to do to renew our journey.

What about FSD V12 (Supervised) Driving Cross Nation?

1) The super-accurate lane-keeping helped me do the 600-mile day at age 83+ years in order that I might make the journey, together with the final 100 miles at nighttime, with little stress.

2) At our pace of 75 mph, we incessantly wanted to go slower shifting vans. FSD would often take us mechanically into the lefthand lane, go the truck, after which return to the righthand lane. Nevertheless, it didn’t at all times work. It was often fairly aggressive discovering a break within the site visitors so as to transfer to the lefthand lane. Nevertheless, it was a bit of gradual returning to the righthand lane. When there was quicker site visitors coming behind us, if I didn’t intervene, the site visitors would go us on the suitable.

3) FSD displays your attentiveness in two methods: A) You might want to apply a small quantity of torque to the steering wheel each 20 seconds or so, so it is aware of your hand is on the wheel. B) A digital camera slightly below the mirror is watching you. FSD is aware of if you’re trying to the suitable on the most important management video display too lengthy. It additionally is aware of if you’re taking a look at your telephone. In case you fail to tug on the steering wheel, or look away from the street too lengthy, you get a blue flashing sign on the highest of the display. In case you proceed to exhibit unhealthy conduct, you get an audible sign.

Unhealthy Habits

In case you exhibit unhealthy conduct for only a few extra seconds, you get what’s referred to as a “Compelled Disengagement.” That implies that FSD will fail to work till you come to a cease, put the automotive in park, and begin up once more. In case you get 5 “Compelled Disengagements,” your entry to FSD can be withdrawn for 7 days.

I’ve had FSD 12 now for a number of months and had managed to restrict myself to 2 “Compelled Disengagements.” Nevertheless, on an extended cross-country journey, it’s straightforward to lose focus finally, and by the top of our second day, I had managed to get three extra “Compelled Disengagements” and misplaced entry to FSD. That meant that I misplaced entry for the final 650 miles of our journey. I might want to wait 7 days to regain entry to FSD and get a brand new set of 5 “Compelled Disengagements.” I’m scheduled to regain entry to FSD on Might 11 at 6:39 p.m.

My automotive has returned to previous pre-FSD conduct the place it is going to cease for cease indicators and cease lights. Humorously, it is going to additionally once more cease for inexperienced lights until you manually sign it to proceed. Additionally, it is going to solely proceed from cease lights mechanically if you’re following one other automotive. I can nonetheless put my vacation spot into the navigation and get my route on the map, however I needed to reactivate the voice help to get turning directions. I did okay driving the entire east to west route on the busy freeways by means of the middle of downtown Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Nevertheless, we did have hassle attending to the Oakdale Supercharger the place detour signage precipitated us to loop to the exit 3 times earlier than we bought it proper. FSD might have helped us keep away from this drawback.

It was fairly fascinating. I now not have entry to auto navigation and steering help, however I nonetheless have good cruise. It was a impolite awakening to need to steer my automotive once more manually. Except I’ve whole focus, I’m not almost as correct as FSD maintaining myself within the middle of the lane. Nevertheless, with entry to good cruise, the final 650 miles of the journey weren’t too traumatic.

After I left Utah, I had FSD (Supervised) V12.3.4, however I used to be notified {that a} new software program model was able to be downloaded. Sadly, you can’t obtain the software program whereas Supercharging. Too unhealthy — that might be a time if you end up killing time anyway. Subsequently, I waited till the night of the primary day on the Bavarian Inn at Custer South Dakota. The Bavarian Inn had two vacation spot chargers; one was a Tesla Vacation spot Charger that was already occupied by a Tesla Mannequin S. Subsequently, I pulled into the J1772 charger and used the adapter that I at all times carry with me. By the subsequent morning, all the pieces was lined with 3” of recent snow, as proven in Determine 4.

However first I logged into the Bavarian Inn Wi-Fi and began the obtain of FSD (Supervised) V12.3.6. The discharge notes mentioned that the improve would offer extra correct vary estimates. It’s purported to take into consideration the age and situation of the battery. I’m not capable of consider this and haven’t observed every other modifications.

My spouse likes to spend an additional day in Custer, South Dakota, so we are able to drive by means of the Wildlife Loop and see the massive bison herd, donkeys, pronghorn antelope, and floor hogs (see Determine 5).

I’ve noticed the present model of FSD (Supervised) decelerate simply the correct amount for pace bumps. Nevertheless, it doesn’t acknowledge the flashing lights and gradual to twenty mph for college zones. Doing so at school zones looks like a simple repair that I anticipate to see quickly in future variations.

In northern Utah, we’ve got the 12-lane I-15 freeway operating the 93 miles from Spanish Fork by means of Provo and Salt Lake Metropolis to Ogden. There may be an HOV (double occupancy) left lane operating the entire distance. I’ve been driving an EV for over 10 years, so I’ve one of many restricted variety of single occupancy passes for the HOV lane. Backside line: I at all times take the HOV lane when I’m driving a substantial distance right here on I-15. It implies that I solely want to fret about different vehicles on my proper aspect and even then I’m separated from them by a double white line. Additionally, in heavy site visitors the HOV lane is often the one lane nonetheless shifting. Nevertheless, FSD will at all times attempt to make me exit the HOV lane earlier than I would like it to. Previously, should you slid the right-hand thumbwheel to the suitable or left, you’d management the Good Cruise following distance (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 automotive lengths). Nevertheless, now a menu comes up with a button to scale back lane modifications and a slider to set Chill, Assertive, or Aggressive lane modifications. None of those choices make a lot distinction. FSD nonetheless tries to exit the HOV lane too early and the slider received’t keep the place you set it.

Driving by means of Wyoming is a land of contrasts. We nonetheless see mile-long closely laden “unit” coal trains pulled by 3 diesels with one other diesel pushing on the finish (see Determine 6).

We additionally see an immense (multi-gigawatt) coal energy plant.

However, we additionally noticed a whole bunch of wind generators like we see in Determine 7. However essentially the most fascinating are the extremely lengthy wind turbine blades and tower sections en route on the interstate (see Figures 8–10).