Lifestyle
Year In Review: 12 months of Tesla ownership
A year ago this month, my husband and I picked up our brand new Model S after a 108 day wait. It has been quite a ride and I wanted to share the experience for any potential owners who wonder if the “wonder” wears off, new owners who are still in the honeymoon phase and veteran owners who have plenty of stories of their own.
In May of 2014, I convinced my better half we should test drive a Tesla. He was looking to replace his 4-door Jeep Wrangler. In a bright “Mango Tango” orange paint with large wheels, it was right at home at both the beach or in the snow. It did not, however, know how to keep speed up a hill. Or go fast. At all. The decision process that brought us to that day in August when we finally ordered the car is for another post entirely. (Spoiler: The Tesla is a pretty expensive car and most owners really have to think about it before dropping that kind of cash.)
Thanks to delivery schedules, our east coast pickup location and the announcement of “the D” our order-to-delivery time was pretty darn long. And we felt every single day of it. So when the excitement of the day finally arrived, we could hardly contain ourselves. In fact, we were so excited that we forgot to hand over the check for the car and had to go back to the service center after having already left. That little gaffe aside, delivery went exactly as planned. The car was nearly flawless. A few scuffs we thought we saw turned out to be glue residue. They were quickly cleaned up while our delivery specialist gave us our tour. She was pleasant and knowledgeable, which was consistent with our experience with show room employees at the showroom location of our test drive 6 months earlier.
It was already dark for our ride home so we didn’t go for too much of a joy ride, but my husband pulled the car over halfway and let me finish out the drive. (He actually offered me the fob when we first left the service center, but I passed.) We set the regenerative braking to the higher level despite my initial plans to ease into it. For those on the fence, the one pedal driving is the best feature you didn’t know to look forward to. Trust me. The car performed exactly as we hoped and our cheeks were sore from smiling the whole way home.
3 weeks later, Christmas was our first trip away from home. We visit a town about 110 miles north of where we live for holidays. That 110 miles is over and past mountains so range always suffers. The Supercharger location we anticipated being built in Allentown, PA in 2014 never happened so we ended up charging with a combination of extension cord on a 110V outlet and a level 2 charger a 10 minute drive from where we were visiting. (Little did we know that we would end up having to deal without an eastern PA Supercharger for another 12 months.) We outfitted the car with all weather mats pretty quickly and would recommend them to anyone. The trip was great and the car has all the room one could need for two passengers, luggage, holiday gifts and a 55-pound pup.
Our first service center trip happened rather quickly. We never actually noticed that the rear passenger door handle didn’t present until we started showing off the car to family around Christmas. We scheduled the service visit for a future day that a loaner was available because this issue was very minor and we weren’t in a rush at all. Service was swift and without issue.
Two months in we had our first real road trip planned. Our ultimate destination was Savannah, Georgia with a one night detour planned in Charleston, South Carolina. As is always a risk with winter traveling where we live, a pretty sloppy snow and ice storm thwarted our plans to depart Philadelphia around midnight. We ended up waiting until closer to 5am but despite the horrendous road conditions that the City had not yet dealt with (it was a Sunday morning) the Tesla performed wonderfully. We took it easy of course and never felt unsafe. That trip is where my whole perspective on road trips changed. The requirement to stop and charge means you get plenty of rest room breaks, chances to stretch your legs and really convenient markers to swap driving responsibilities every 2 hours or so. Neither one of us felt tired and we both agreed that the trip felt much shorter than it really was. It was also on this trip that we began to look forward to the car’s potentially efficiency in warm weather. Getting the car in December we were in for a bit of a surprise at how much range suffered and regen was limited.
Though winter felt long as they often do, spring gave way to warm temperatures, better efficiency and lots of reasons to open the panoramic roof. Our initial disappointment over how much our electric bill went up the first month with the car leveled off as the car started driving much more efficiently. We made a few additional changes at home such as LED bulbs and a “smart” power strip for our basement entertainment center and now find ourselves using the same amount of electricity as we did before we replaced an old bar refrigerator and washer/dryer pair, which was also before we had the car.
Around the 6 month mark, my passion was every bit as strong as it was when we were waiting for delivery. I decided to do a local car show and can barely describe what a fun day that was. I spoke to hundreds of people non-stop and unexpectedly came away with a trophy after being softly scolded by a judge for not knowing the car show protocol of being required to have your trunk and hood open. One embarrassing problem was that our rear passenger door handle started to act up again. This time, the door was actually popping open when the car unlocked. It was a hassle because most days the car is driven solo and the driver had to walk all the way around the car to close it. On the day of the car show I had my fob on my person so walking back and forth around the car meant the door popped open many times. Curious onlookers raised eyebrows as the car’s “trick.” That issue also required a service visit, but again we waited until a loaner was available. Other than having to take it to service at all, the experience was great.
By July, it was time for our second road trip. This time the plan was camping not far from Virginia Beach. We had been told many times that charging at RV parks is easy so we barely thought a thing about rolling into our destination with low mileage and no live Superchargers nearby. As it turned out, that RV park was rather old and our site had an older outlet. We needed an adapter, which the campground’s general store thankfully had. The adapter still led to disappointment as the car still wouldn’t take a charge from anything other than a 110v outlet. A trickle charge wasn’t going to work – we had two day excursions planned while we were in the area. After consulting the Tesla Forums, I learned enough about the outlet situation to ask the campground if they had 14-50 outlets at some of their larger sites. Fortunately they did and a camp employee gave me the old “you didn’t hear it from me but…” when describing their one site that they never rented out. We were able to park the car there overnight twice to get all the range we needed. If you do plan on RV charging, I suggest making sure they have the more modern hookups. You should also leave yourself extra time for picture taking. The Model S makes a beautiful addition to a scenic view.
Not very long after getting home from that trip I started charting out our next. I’ve never been to Chicago and really want to but figured out that trip would be a little longer than we were willing to take off work at that time. New England it was. The only three states I hadn’t yet been to on the East Coast were Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. I fully intend for the Tesla to carry me to all the states I haven’t seen. I have a long way to go. Our trip to Portland was easy enough on the supercharger network. We snuck an extension cord out the window from our second story AirBnB apartment to trickle charge overnight and got just enough juice to take us to our next charging opportunity on the way to Portsmouth, NH. Our last stop, Burlington, Vermont, had a public Level 2 charger just a block from where we were staying so we happily parked, checked into PlugShare and charged just enough to get us to the first Supercharger on the way home. Another Tesla was not so kind. We noticed a black Model S with New Jersey tags park there later that day and stay overnight. Even at 0 miles left on the battery, he couldn’t have needed to stay that long. I was very disappointed, as I saw not one but two other Teslas circling the area, presumably needing a charge. With the Burlington Supercharger since online, I imagine this won’t be an issue going forward. That’s the real beauty of the Supercharger network; it changes weekly. In fact, from the time we planned our route to the time we embarked, an additional charger popped up in New Hampshire. We didn’t need it but it was a nice surprise.
A full year after Autopilot was announced, it finally went live with an over the air update. The timing of our order was pure luck and our car was delivered with the hardware in place. The implementation of AP has been everything I expected and more. In fact, that very thing inspired me to make this video, which I never imagined would be watched by more than a few dozen Tesla forum members.
Further delays with an Allentown, PA Supercharger location meant we faced another potential winter where skiing at our preferred mountain near Scranton, PA would mean taking a gasoline powered car. I’m thrilled to say that as of this past week, ground has finally broken. And while we will still end up having to charge creatively over Christmas because it won’t be live yet, the end is finally in sight. 16 months after we ordered the car and were told a charger in that much-needed location would be built “soon,” it’s finally happening.
Did that particular charger, which was shown on the 2014 map sway our decision to buy the car? Absolutely. Did the long delay really grind our gears? You bet! Do we regret not waiting until it was built to get our hands on the greatest car ever built? Not a chance, so if you’re a potential owner on the fence, don’t wait. Every day you do is another day you are deprived the distinct pleasure of driving a car so amazing that it inspires me every single day.
By the numbers
- Miles in 12 months: 20,000
- Primary/secondary driver custody arrangement: 80%/20%
- Road trips over 500 miles: 3
- Lifetime Wh/Mile: 326
Tesla announced its Spring 2026 software update, and it’s the most feature-dense seasonal release the company has put out. The update covers twelve named changes spanning FSD, voice AI, safety lighting, dashcam storage, and pet display customization, among other things.
The centerpiece for owners with AI4 hardware is a redesigned Self-Driving app. The new interface lets owners subscribe to Full Self-Driving with a single tap and view ongoing FSD usage stats directly in the vehicle.
Grok gets its biggest in-car upgrade yet. The update adds a “Hey Grok” hands-free wake word along with location-based reminders, so a driver can now say “remind me to pick up groceries when I get home” without touching the screen. Grok first arrived in vehicles in July 2025, but each update has pushed it closer to genuine daily utility. Musk framed the broader vision clearly at Davos in January, saying Tesla is “really moving into a future that is based on autonomy.”
On safety, the update introduces enhanced blind spot warning lights that integrate directly with the cabin’s ambient lighting, building on the blind spot door warning that arrived in update 2026.8.
Dog Mode has been renamed Pet Mode and now lets owners choose a dog, cat, or hedgehog icon and add their pet’s name to the display.
Dashcam retention now extends up to 24 hours, up from the previous one-hour rolling loop, with a permanent save option for any clip. Weather maps now show rain and snow with better color differentiation and include the past hour of precipitation data along the route.
Tesla has now established a clear rhythm of two major OTA pushes per year. As with last year’s Spring update, that cycle started taking shape in 2025 with adaptive headlights and trunk customization. The 2025 Holiday Update then added Grok to the vehicle for the first time. This Spring follows that structure: the Holiday update introduces new architecture, and the Spring update broadens it across the fleet.
Two notable features still did not make it. IFTTT automations, which launched in China earlier this year, were held back from this North American release for unknown reasons, and Apple CarPlay remains absent, reportedly still delayed by iOS 26 and Apple Maps compatibility issues.
Below is the full list of feature updates released by Tesla.
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 13, 2026
Lifestyle
Tesla hit by Iranian missile debris in Israel
A Tesla in Israel absorbed a direct hit from missile debris, and the glassroof held.
On March 30, 2026, Lara Shusterman was in Netanya, Israel when Iranian ballistic missiles triggered air raid sirens across the city. While she remained in safety, her 2024 Tesla Model Y did not escape untouched. A heavy piece of missile debris struck the car’s massive glass roof, leaving a deep crater but without shattering. In a Facebook post to the Tesla Israel community the following morning, Shusterman described what happened: “The glass did not shatter into dangerous shards. She stopped the damage and pushed the metal part to the ground.” She closed by thanking Elon Musk and the Tesla team for building what she called “security and a sense of trust even in extreme situations.”
Netanya is a coastal city in central Israel, roughly 18 miles north of Tel Aviv and has been among the areas most frequently struck during Iran’s ongoing missile campaign, following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure. Falling shrapnel from intercepted missiles is a common occurrence.
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- Tesla Model Y glass roof shattered from a piece of falling Iranian missile debris
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- A piece of Iranian missile debris that struck Lara Shusterman’s Tesla Model Y in Netanya, Israel on March 30, 2026, after being intercepted by Israeli air defenses.
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- Tesla Model Y glass roof shattered from a piece of falling Iranian missile debris
Source: Tesla Israel Facebook Group
The incident is a testament to Tesla’s structural engineering. Tesla’s glass roof is designed to support over four times the vehicle’s own weight. That strength has shown up in real-world accidents too. In 2021, a Model Y in California was struck by a falling tree during a storm, with the glass roof holding firm and the cabin remaining intact. In another widely reported incident, a Tesla Model Y plunged 250 feet off the cliff at Devil’s Slide in California in January 2023, with all four occupants, including two young children, surviving.
Disturbing details about Tesla’s 250-foot cliff drop emerge amid initial investigation
Tesla officially launched sales in Israel in early 2021 and captured over 60 percent of Israel’s EV market in the first year. The brand’s foothold in Israel remains significant. Tens of thousands of Teslas are now on Israeli roads, making incidents like Shusterman’s easy to corroborate. On the same week her Model Y took the hit, the U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $178.5 million contract to launch missile tracking satellites, a separate but fitting reminder of how intertwined the Musk ecosystem has become with the realities of modern conflict.
Elon Musk
NASA sends humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972 – Here’s what’s next
NASA’s Artemis II launched four astronauts toward the Moon on the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket launches carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on NASA’s Artemis II mission, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Operations and Support Building II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II mission will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft launched at 6:35pm EDT from Launch Complex 39B. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA launched four astronauts toward the Moon on April 1, 2026, marking the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The Artemis II mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard the Space Launch System rocket at 6:35 p.m. EDT, sending commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the far side of the Moon and back.
The mission does not include a lunar landing. It is a test flight designed to validate the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems, navigation, and communications in deep space with a crew aboard for the first time. If the crew reaches the planned distance of 252,000 miles from Earth, they will set a new record for the farthest any human has ever traveled, surpassing even the Apollo 13 distance record.
As Teslarati reported, SpaceX holds a central role in what comes next. The Starship Human Landing System is under contract to carry astronauts to the lunar surface for Artemis IV, now targeting 2028, after NASA restructured its mission sequence due to delays in Starship’s orbital refueling demonstration. Before any Moon landing happens, SpaceX must prove it can transfer propellant between two Starships in orbit, something no rocket program has done at this scale.
The last time humans left Earth’s orbit was 53 years ago. Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 were the final people to walk on the Moon, a record that stands to this day. Elon Musk has long argued that returning is not optional. “It’s been now almost half a century since humans were last on the Moon,” Musk said. “That’s too long, we need to get back there and have a permanent base on the Moon.”
The Artemis program involves 60 countries signed onto the Artemis Accords, and this mission sets several firsts beyond distance. Glover becomes the first person of color to travel beyond low Earth orbit, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American astronaut to reach the Moon’s vicinity. According to NASA’s live mission updates, the spacecraft’s solar arrays deployed successfully after liftoff and the crew completed a proximity operations demonstration within the first hours of flight.
Artemis II is step one. The Moon landing and the permanent lunar base come later. But after more than five decades, humans are heading back.
Elon Musk signals expansion of Tesla’s unique side business
The Starship V3 static fire everyone was waiting for just happened
