Lifestyle
Tesla owner takes Model 3 on the ultimate 115,000-mile road trip across US
One Tesla Model 3 owner recently hit a milestone after taking his Long Range rear-wheel drive electric sedan on an epic six-month-long, 115,000 road trip throughout the United States.
Los Angeles-based Tesla owner Arthur Driessen documented his journey across the U.S. in his blog Maiden Voyage: A Voyage Without Carbon and recently shared his thoughts after covering a distance that could be the farthest one done in a Model 3.
Driessen has used and practically abused the electric vehicle on almost all kinds of terrains through different seasons. According to Driessen, he drove the vehicle through sand, snow, streams, creeks and all and the car has got him through challenging terrain and weather every single time.
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- Tesla Model 3 – Maiden Voyage 3(Source: @MCarbon via Twitter)
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- Tesla Model 3 – Maiden Voyage 2 (Source: @MCarbon via Twitter)
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- Tesla Model 3 – Maiden Voyage 1 (Source: @MCarbon via Twitter)
“I’ve seen tons of different types of terrain. You go off into the mountains. You go to Native American reservations and you’re gonna see roads that really are supposed to have 4×4 vehicles,” he said.
Through his adventure riding the Model 3 he actually only had two control arms and a door hinge replaced but they were practically self-inflicted damage. He also changed tires when his set of OEM shoes went bald after 10,000 miles and every 20K to 25K miles after that but he confessed that it was expected as he drove heavy and drove off-road.
“I think that’s pretty amazing. Over 115,000 miles, you know no oil changes, no nothing,” he exclaimed.
Probably most people would ask how much Driessen spent to operate the Model 3 during the road trip and how the electric car’s battery might have degraded.
“The savings have been just phenomenal and then you can factor in, you know, gas savings comparatively… with supercharging. I average everything out at about six cents per mile which means $6,000 over a hundred thousand miles and you can take that number and you can apply it to whatever car you would be driving,” he said. The Model 3 owner estimated that he saved around $10,000 on gas, comparing the cost if he drove his Civic.
With regard to battery range and degradation, the EV adventurer said he did not lose much battery at all. He also praised the charging infrastructure of Tesla throughout the country as he only struggled when he was near the Texas border and up along the Canadian border.
“The last time I charged 100 percent, which was a couple of weeks ago, I still had 308 miles.. and I think that’s pretty good,” he revealed. For context, Driessen’s Model 3 had an original rate range of 310 miles.
In terms of Model 3 storage, this snapshot from his vlog when he emptied out the car’s passenger cabin, trunk, and frunk sum up how much you can carry on Tesla’s mass-produced electric sedan.
Driessen also brought up issues he encountered with the vehicle such as the Autopilot choosing the slower left lane during some points of his trip, forcing other vehicles to pass through his right. He also shared the problems he had with Smart Summon, seeing the feature as a rushed piece of software after encountering issues with it at some parking lots. The Model 3 owner also raised an issue about the car’s navigation not working when one’s not online. Nevertheless, the Model 3 owner acknowledges the capability of Tesla in pushing software updates to improve the ride to address such issues.
Driessen’s adventure across the United States on his Tesla Model 3 is not just a testimony, but his experience is concrete proof that the popular electric sedan can deliver beyond its perceived limits.
Check out the video footage of Maiden Voyage: A Voyage Without Carbon below:
Lifestyle
Tesla teases “Halloween Mode” update with Optimus rising from a graveyard
Tesla’s Halloween teaser hides a covered vehicle and an Optimus hand rising from the ground.
Tesla has started teasing a Halloween software update for its vehicles, with a short clip on X that reads, “Halloween is coming.” The clip opens on a glowing pumpkin before pulling back to the car’s center touchscreen, where the usual parked visualization has been replaced by a graveyard scene, and the vehicle draped with a white sheet so it reads as a cartoon ghost.
Halloween is coming pic.twitter.com/lM3ASUeOqX
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 1, 2026
The second detail is a robotic hand clawing its way out of the dirt like a zombie, which looks to be the hand of Tesla’s latest Optimus V3 humanoid robot. While Tesla still has not formally shown Optimus Gen 3 walking around in service, renders pulled from Tesla’s Android app last month gave the clearest look yet, including far more refined hands that Tesla has said carry 22 degrees of freedom. The hand has been the hardest part of the program. Musk has called it the majority of the robot’s engineering difficulty, and Tesla’s patents describe a design driven by tendons with the actuators moved into the forearm.
Tesla Optimus V3 hand and arm details revealed in new patents
Optimus also has a Halloween track record. Last October the robot handed out candy in Times Square, and a costumed “zombie” Optimus shuffled around the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles on Halloween night.
On the software side, Tesla’s 2025 Holiday Update expanded Santa Mode with a Santa sleigh, snowmen, snow effects, and a festive lock chime, so it wouldn’t be too far fetched if we saw something similar but themed for a Halloween Mode.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s newest feature lets you floor it out of a Supercharger while plugged in
Tesla’s new Emergency Drive Away feature lets owners flee a Supercharger while still plugged in.
Tesla has given drivers a way to escape while a vehicle is plugged-in at a Supercharger, in the event of an emergency. The company’s charging team announced a new feature on X called Emergency Drive Away, which lets a driver shift into Drive and pull away while the charging cable is still connected to the car.
Until now, a Tesla would not leave Park with a charge cable plugged in. Drivers had to release the latch from the touchscreen, the Tesla app, or the button on the charge handle, then wait for the port to let go. Emergency Drive Away removes that lockout, but Tesla is clear that it comes at a cost. “Use of this feature will damage your vehicle and the Supercharger,” the company wrote, adding that the function is meant for emergencies only and that deliberate misuse will lead to “additional penalties.” Tesla did not say what those penalties are.
Emergency Drive Away lets you shift into Drive while still plugged into a Supercharger pic.twitter.com/40GSzyP4lG
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) October 1, 2026
The in-car prompt is just as direct, with the warning reading: “Driving with the cable connected will cause damage to your vehicle and the Supercharger. Short camera recordings will be shared with Tesla.” That footage gives Tesla a way to separate a real emergency from someone who simply did not want to wait for the latch.
The feature requires software update 2026.38.3, and Tesla said in replies to owners that it works at every Supercharger in the United States without new stall hardware. Model S and Model X vehicles built before 2021 are not supported, and the company says the feature applies to U.S. Superchargers “for now,” leaving Canada and other markets out at launch.
Tesla Supercharger argument leads to tragic shooting incident
Tesla did not tie the announcement to any specific event, but it arrives two months after a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1, targeting three people in two Teslas at the neighboring Supercharger. One of them, a 66 year old man from Salt Lake City, was killed. Superchargers have been the scene of violence before, including a fatal shooting at a station near Denver in 2023.
In the weeks after Twin Falls, owners pushed Tesla for a native way to escape a stall, and many pointed back to EVject, the aftermarket breakaway connector Tesla sued in 2024 over claims it lacked overtemperature protection. The two companies later reached an agreement that led EVject to recall its earlier connectors in favor of a version with thermal sensors.
Our mission has always been about providing peace of mind and eliminating sitting duck scenarios.
We patented the built-in breakaway charger tip on Feb 15, 2023. Awarded Jan 30, 2024. Then shared the designs with @TeslaCharging
Thank you @Tesla for rolling out a solution. This… https://t.co/djOzswLw9N
— EVject (@EVject) October 2, 2026
Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature can be seen in one of the first owner videos of it in action.
Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08) posted on Monday that the feature “worked flawlessly,” saying FSD reengaged itself just as he was about to hit a curb. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s AI team, shared the clip and wrote, “A guardian angel always looking out for you.”
The video arrives in the middle of a staged rollout. Tesla first shipped Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 in software update 2026.27.6 earlier this month, which Teslarati covered as it reached cars. Update 2026.27.10, which began going out on September 19, carried the feature improvements with FSD v14.3.10, according to release notes tracked by Not a Tesla App. The newer 2026.27.11 build is now reaching another wave of vehicles.
The new Automatic Collision Evasion feature worked flawlessly! FSD reengaged itself just as I was about to hit a curb.
Kudos @Tesla_AI team! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Fbp15HhpL2
— Spencer (@scotsrule08) September 28, 2026
The feature only runs on HW4 vehicles, and it requires an active FSD purchase or subscription with both FSD (Supervised) and Automatic Emergency Braking enabled. HW3 owners receive FSD v14.2 Lite in the same updates, but that build does not include collision evasion.
Tesla’s release notes describe two triggers. The first is an imminent frontal collision that braking alone may not prevent, in which case the car can activate FSD to steer, brake or accelerate around the hazard. That scenario is limited to highways below 85 mph, with no pedestrians or cyclists detected and no slippery road surface. The second covers a driver who appears inattentive, such as reaching into the back seat, or who seems to have switched off FSD by accident. Spencer’s curb clip appears to fall into that second category.
Tesla plans big safety improvements for Full Self-Driving v15
Once the system takes over, the accelerator is muted and light brake input will not cancel the maneuver. Drivers need to apply firm, deliberate steering force to take back control, and the car chimes to hand control back once the danger has passed.
Elluswamy recently noted that earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction time and better collision avoidance would arrive with FSD v15, the next major version.
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