My 12 Year EV Saga … Finishing with FSD V14, the Ultimate Driving Machine

This is one homeowner's personal account of driving electric cars over the past twelve years, not a policy or program update, so there's nothing here about rebates or upgrades for your own house. It's worth a quick read if you're curious how far EV range and charging have come.

The writer started in 2014 with a Nissan Leaf that only went 81 miles on a charge, forcing him to skip heat or air conditioning on longer drives just to make it home to his home charger. Each new Leaf added range, and he also added solar panels to charge the car from sunlight. By 2019 he'd moved to a Tesla Model 3 with 310 miles of range, which finally made cross-country trips practical thanks to Tesla's network of fast chargers. After a Model 3 accident this May totaled the car, he replaced it with a 2026 Tesla Model Y rated at 326 miles of range.

The bulk of the piece is about Tesla's newest self-driving software, called FSD version 14, which he says can handle steering, braking, and accelerating on its own, including slowing for pedestrians and animals, though he notes it still needs supervision since it isn't perfect. None of this involves home energy upgrades, rebates, or efficiency programs, so there's no action needed on your end.