A CleanTechnica contributor has described the first cross-country trip in a new 2026 Tesla Model Y, covering approximately 1,500 miles from northern Wisconsin to northern Utah. The vehicle was carrying two large electric bicycles, and the journey followed the total loss of the contributor’s 2019 Tesla Model 3 in an accident in May.
The trip was also the first extended drive using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Supervised version 14.3.12. The contributor said the navigation system rerouted the car around a closed exit near Wausau, Wisconsin, adding roughly five miles, although the closure was not explained in advance.
Charging conditions varied considerably. The Wausau Supercharger, which the contributor said had rarely been busy during seven years of visits, was full on a Sunday after a week of autumn tourism. A stall became available within five minutes, but the older V2 charger delivered only about 50 kilowatts and took approximately 40 minutes to complete the session. At Menomonie, Wisconsin, a newer Hardware 4 charger provided nearly 100 kilowatts, although several vehicles were waiting when the car departed.
The vehicle’s navigation also routed around a bridge closure near the Wisconsin-Minnesota border and guided the car through the Minneapolis-Saint Paul freeway network. However, Full Self-Driving became unavailable after leaving the Minneapolis Supercharger. The system displayed a 15-mph speed limit despite the reported 65-mph limit, while both Full Self-Driving and smart cruise control initially failed.
Several troubleshooting steps, including vehicle reboots and camera recalibration, did not immediately restore the system. Partial recalibration brought back smart cruise control, while a later calibration attempt in South Dakota eventually restored Full Self-Driving after almost an hour. The contributor said the feature had been unavailable for much of two days during the trip and questioned whether Tesla would refund part of the $99 monthly subscription.
The journey continued through South Dakota and Wyoming, with charging stops including Murdo, Wall, Evansville and Evanston. The route also passed wind farms, a wind-turbine tower factory, the Powder River Basin coal region and the Dave Johnson power plant in eastern Wyoming. The travelers visited Custer State Park before spending the night in Lusk, Wyoming.
The contributor said the Model Y appeared to charge somewhat more slowly than the previous Model 3 Long Range but seemed to offer greater range. With the bicycles attached, the new vehicle could reportedly travel at up to 80 mph between charging stops, compared with a previous maximum of about 75 mph in the Model 3 and occasional reductions to 60 mph.
When operational, Full Self-Driving was described as keeping the vehicle centered in its lane, passing other cars and returning to the right-hand lane. The contributor, aged 86, said driving without the system was more demanding because it required manually keeping the car centered and maintaining pressure on the accelerator. The trip to the couple’s home in Lindon, Utah, was completed in three 500-mile days.
Sources: CleanTechnica.