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Tesla Model S road warrior passes 1.2 million miles in 10 years

Credit: Watt Energy/YouTube

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Ten years ago, Hansjörg von Gemmingen-Hornberg purchased a second-hand Tesla Model S with 18,641 miles on its odometer. Since then, Gemmingen-Hornberg has driven his all-electric sedan consistently across several continents. And in a recent update on social media, the Tesla owner revealed that his Model S has now passed the 1.2 million mile mark. 

Gemmingen-Hornberg’s recent milestone was posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. As could be seen in his post, the Model S has now reached a very impressive 1,960,000 km (1,217,887 miles) on its odometer. This effectively makes Gemmingen-Hornberg’s Model S the highest mileage Tesla in the world today. 

The fact that Gemmingen-Hornberg started his journey with his Model S way back in 2014 is extremely impressive, especially if one were to consider the fact that electric vehicles were not as prevalent back then as they are today. The charging infrastructure in 2014 was also nowhere near as robust as it is today, so traveling long distances was not as simple. 

Despite this, Gemmingen-Hornberg has steadily established himself as the driver of the world’s highest-mileage Tesla. It should be noted that the Model S has received several battery and electric motor replacements over its 1.2 million-mile journey. As noted by Gemmingen-Hornberg during an interview with YouTube’s Watt Energy channel in November, his Model S is currently on its fourth battery and its 13th electric motor. 

Gemmingen-Hornberg noted that his Model S, being one of the first performance Teslas built with a large electric motor, tends to have issues with its drive unit. His recent electric motor seems to be holding up fairly well, however, and so is his vehicle’s battery. To be fair, Gemmingen-Hornberg is particularly careful with his Model S, as he closely monitors his charging sessions and drives very carefully. 

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Quite unfortunately, Gemmingen-Hornberg’s accomplishments have not really gotten much attention from Tesla. In his conversation with the Watt Energy host, the Model S driver noted that Elon Musk did congratulate him on social media when his car passed the 1 million km mark, but it was 11 months after his vehicle achieved the milestone. Tesla was also silent when Gemmingen-Hornberg passed the record-setting 1 million mile mark

Gemmingen-Hornberg joked that Musk is probably not very interested in his accomplishment considering his Model S’ multiple battery and electric motor replacements. When the YouTube channel host joked that he might get a new car for driving 1.2 million miles, Gemmingen-Hornberg stated “We’ll have to look. He’s not so interested, but he heard of the 13 engines and he’s a special man who doesn’t like critique… So I think he has this little problem with me at the moment,” he said. 

The YouTube channel host’s joke about a free car is likely a reference to Volvo, which gifted a brand new 2022 Volvo S60 sedan to a driver who passed the million-mile barrier with his Volvo 740 GLE. It took 30 years for the Volvo 740 GLE to achieve the milestone, but it was extremely impressive nonetheless. 

Watch Gemmingen-Hornberg’s November 2023 interview with Watt Energy in the video below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving shows confident navigation in heavy snow

So far, from what we’ve seen, snow has not been a huge issue for the most recent Full Self-Driving release. It seems to be acting confidently and handling even snow-covered roads with relative ease.

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Credit: Grok

Tesla Full Self-Driving is getting its first taste of Winter weather for late 2025, as snow is starting to fall all across the United States.

The suite has been vastly improved after Tesla released v14 to many owners with capable hardware, and driving performance, along with overall behavior, has really been something to admire. This is by far the best version of FSD Tesla has ever released, and although there are a handful of regressions with each subsequent release, they are usually cleared up within a week or two.

Tesla is releasing a modified version of FSD v14 for Hardware 3 owners: here’s when

However, adverse weather conditions are something that Tesla will have to confront, as heavy rain, snow, and other interesting situations are bound to occur. In order for the vehicles to be fully autonomous, they will have to go through these scenarios safely and accurately.

One big issue I’ve had, especially in heavy rain, is that the camera vision might be obstructed, which will display messages that certain features’ performance might be degraded.

So far, from what we’ve seen, snow has not been a huge issue for the most recent Full Self-Driving release. It seems to be acting confidently and handling even snow-covered roads with relative ease:

Moving into the winter months, it will be very interesting to see how FSD handles even more concerning conditions, especially with black ice, freezing rain and snow mix, and other things that happen during colder conditions.

We are excited to test it ourselves, but I am waiting for heavy snowfall to make it to Pennsylvania so I can truly push it to the limit.

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Tesla hosts Rome Mayor for first Italian FSD Supervised road demo

The event marked the first time an Italian mayor tested the advanced driver-assistance system in person in Rome’s urban streets.

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Credit: @andst7/X

Tesla definitely seems to be actively engaging European officials on FSD’s capabilities, with the company hosting Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Mobility Assessor Eugenio Patanè for a hands-on road demonstration. 

The event marked the first time an Italian mayor tested the advanced driver-assistance system in person in Rome’s urban streets. This comes amid Tesla’s push for FSD’s EU regulatory approvals in the coming year.

Rome officials experience FSD Supervised

Tesla conducted the demo using a Model 3 equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised), tackling typical Roman traffic including complex intersections, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and mixed users like cars, bikes and scooters.

The system showcased AI-based assisted driving, prioritizing safety while maintaining flow. FSD also handled overtakes and lane decisions, though with constant driver supervision.

Investor Andrea Stroppa detailed the event on X, noting the system’s potential to reduce severe collision risks by up to seven times compared to traditional driving, based on Tesla’s data from billions of global fleet miles. The session highlighted FSD’s role as an assistance tool in its Supervised form, not a replacement, with the driver fully responsible at all times.

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Path to European rollout

Tesla has logged over 1 million kilometers of testing across 17 European countries, including Italy, to refine FSD for local conditions. The fact that Rome officials personally tested FSD Supervised bodes well for the program’s approval, as it suggests that key individuals are closely watching Tesla’s efforts and innovations.

Assessor Patanè also highlighted the administration’s interest in technologies that boost road safety and urban travel quality, viewing them as aids for both private and public transport while respecting rules.

Replies on X urged involving Italy’s Transport Ministry to speed approvals, with one user noting, “Great idea to involve the mayor! It would be necessary to involve components of the Ministry of Transport and the government as soon as possible: it’s they who can accelerate the approval of FSD in Italy.”

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Tesla FSD (Supervised) blows away French journalist after test ride

Cadot described FSD as “mind-blowing,” both for the safety of the vehicle’s driving and the “humanity” of its driving behaviors.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) seems to be making waves in Europe, with French tech journalist Julien Cadot recently sharing a positive first-hand experience from a supervised test drive in France. 

Cadot, who tested the system for Numerama after eight years of anticipation since early Autopilot trials, described FSD as “mind-blowing,” both for the safety of the vehicle’s driving and the “humanity” of its driving behaviors.

 

Julien Cadot’s FSD test in France

Cadot announced his upcoming test on X, writing in French: “I’m going to test Tesla’s FSD for Numerama in France. 8 years I’ve been waiting to relive the sensations of our very first contact with the unbridled Autopilot of the 2016s.” He followed up shortly after with an initial reaction, writing: “I don’t want to spoil too much because as media we were allowed to film everything and I have a huge video coming… But: it’s mind-blowing! Both for safety and for the ‘humanity’ of the choices.”

His later posts detailed FSD’s specific maneuvers that he found particularly compelling. These include the vehicle safely overtaking a delivery truck by inches, something Cadot said he personally would avoid to protect his rims, but FSD handled flawlessly. He also praised FSD’s cyclist overtakes, as the system always maintained the required 1.5-meter distance by encroaching on the opposite lane when clear. Ultimately, Cadot noted FSD’s decision-making prioritized safety and advancement, which is pretty remarkable.

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FSD’s ‘human’ edge over Autopilot

When asked if FSD felt light-years ahead of standard Autopilot, Cadot replied: “It’s incomparable, it’s not the same language.” He elaborated on scenarios like bypassing a parked delivery truck across a solid white line, where FSD assessed safety and proceeded just as a human driver might, rather than halting indefinitely. This “humanity” impressed Cadot the most, as it allowed FSD to fluidly navigate real-world chaos like urban Paris traffic. 

Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Recent reports have revealed that Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.

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