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Adding a second battery — Tesla finally makes it possible
When Lightning Energy installed our Powerwall 2 back in December 2023 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Anc2vKKqZ/ it was great. Paired with our 13 kW Enphase/Jinko solar system and 10 kW inverter, it's been handling our fully electrified home in Emerald pretty well — five reverse-cycle ACs, heat pump hot water, EV charging, and grid outages lasting up to nine days. But as we've added more loads, I've been thinking about expanding battery storage. There was a problem, though. The Powerwall 2 is no longer CEC-approved for new installations in Australia. Tesla stopped taking orders for it in late 2024/early 2025, and as of January 2026 it's no longer on the Clean Energy Council approved list. So you can't add a second one. And until very recently, the Powerwall 3 — Tesla's current model — was completely incompatible with the Powerwall 2. They couldn't talk to each other. That meant anyone with a Powerwall 2 who wanted more storage faced a painful choice: rip out the existing battery and…
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Heat pump testing — how fast does it heat?
In my December post about our heat pump installation, I mentioned that one of the reasons I chose Emerald was the integrated app. It shows the tank capacity, water temperature, outdoor temperature, and lets me turn it on and off or activate Boost Mode remotely. I've since used it to answer a question: how long does it actually take to heat the water, and does outdoor temperature make a difference? Over the past couple of months, I've been taking semi-random screenshots of the Emerald app at intervals through the day, tracking the water temperature as it heats from "Low" (around 25–30°C) up to the 60°C target. I did this on 11 different days, with outdoor temperatures ranging from about 14°C to 32°C. I then used AI (Claude, by Anthropic) to read all 87 screenshots, extract the data, and plot it on a chart. The chart shows each day's heating curve overlaid, with the lines colour-coded by outdoor temperature — red for hot days, blue for cool days. We might expect to see the warmer days…
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High tech “sandal” to prevent the tailgate from hitting the wall.
I typically reverse into car parks. But that often leaves not enough space to open the tailgate. I wasn’t sure whether it would clear the wall, so I wedged my sandal there, just in case. Lucky I did. I hadn’t planned to open it, but we had some leftovers from dinner out with friends, which I wanted to put in the fridge in our subtrunk before we went to the movies. It would be handy if the Tesla could accurately gauge if there’s room to open the hatch, or open it just short of hitting anything. Until then, I just have to use a shoe, or just move the car out and back in.
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Goodbye gas! I finally organised disconnecting the ducted gas heating at our home.
If only we could see the burnt gas pouring into the air, all the time, and not just when the condensation highlights it (as in the photos). Pumping carcinogens and greenhouse gases into the air that we breathe. It’s nuts. It was costing us up to $528 per month to run the heating in winter. Our replacement air conditioning will be closer to free, thanks to our solar and battery. We recently also replaced our gas hot water with a heat pump. See my post about that, here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17xtnGjv2E/ Our one remaining gas appliance is our stove top. Once that’s gone, we will save $35 per month just for the connection fee. And no more gas! We’re replacing the gas heating with some split air conditioners. Read about our replacement system here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18cxsd3qG7/ Follow Tesla Tripping to stay tuned. For those who might say “what about in a blackout”? Note the power point connection on the old gas heating. Our old gas hot water heat pump had one too.…
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Finally unpacked the Teraglide shelf from the back of the Tesla.
Only took about ten minutes. But I’m keeping the fridge in the subtrunk. Links:
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Surprise picnic. Making use of all the hidey-holes in the Tesla.
Let’s pull over here next to the Yarra River. Would you like a cold drink? I just happen have a powered fridge in the sub trunk of the car. We can sit on the camp chairs from the frunk (front trunk, since there’s no engine). How about a cheese platter and some cherries to go with it? Ok “platter” is a bit of an overstatement, but work with me here. The car also has kitchen utensils and a dining table. We might as well just stay here for lunch now. Charging: All charged up for free from solar at home. There are also destination chargers down the road at the caravan park. Links:
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Fast charging at the Bairnsdale superchargers.
It's conveniently located close to shops, near the centre of town, but it's right next to the entry of a very busy car park. There are only three charging spots. I watched another Tesla try a few times to reverse into a charger from a park opposite. Fortunately, other waiting drivers kept their holiday cheer. I tapped on the window and asked if they'd like me to park the car for them. She explained that it was her husband's car, who had apparently gone to the shops. She seemed very relieved to hand over control to someone familiar with the car. I parked it and plugged it in. After that and a cuppa, the car was charged up enough to take me all the way home. I had to do a slight three point turn to exit the car park when I was done. Did I mentioned it's a slightly awkward spot?
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Brief stop in Orbost to make a Vegemite sandwich, a cup of tea and to use the amenities.
Pop the tailgate, pull out the dining table, open the fridge. Easy. Charging: Fast-ish Chargefox charger here, maxes out at 50kW. But the Vegemite sandwich stop gave me more than enough to get to a properly fast charger in Bairnsdale. The cable seems to be in the wrong side, but thankfully it’s long enough to stretch across. Links:
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Breakfast, from the kitchen drawer and fridge in my Tesla.
I drove a few kilometers from my overnight riverside camping spot, back to the community hall in Tubbut. A free shower in the provided facilities was a welcome way to wake up. The rain eased shortly after I arrived. I boiled water using my induction stove, for a hot thermos of tea. Beautiful, relaxed start to the day. Charging: Thanks, again, to Gippsland Climate Change Network and Chargefox for the destination charger in Tubbut. Since I’m parked for breakfast anyway, I might as well use it. I have more than enough range to get to Orbost, where I’ll fill up using a fast charger, while I have lunch. Links:
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Car camping in my Tesla, beside a creek, off the beaten track in the Snowy Mountains.
It took me a while to find the site. Earlier, in my search, I pulled off onto two tracks that ended up in someone’s property. At least it gave some local kids an excuse to run outside to see what the UFO sound was I did a three point just outside their gate. I waved and grinned. A cup of tea and a snack from my Teraglide drawer, sitting in my camp chair, watching the bush life. Until the bush life started eating me (just a few bugs), signaling time for bed. I again wished I had remembered to pack a collapsible stool, to help climb into the back of the car. Followed by the commando crawl to get on top of the Snuuzu mattress and Teraglide platform. This is the highest sleeping option, which gives lots of storage space and a very comfortable bed. The only down side is requiring more effort getting in and out. Once I’m in, it’s great with plenty of room to move. Please forgive the “Tesla Tripping – after dark” photos. Hopefully it helps give a real world idea of the space inside. Sleeping…
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Wow, possibly the best amenities for a road trip, at this spot in the middle of nowhere…
…(in the Snowy Mountains). Seats and tables, beautiful location, playground, water, toilets, WiFi. Even has a shower and laundry tubs. Oh, and a pizza oven. Hard to beat! Gotta love the various signs on the amenities (see photos). Thanks to Gippsland Climate Change Network and Chargefox for the destination EV charger here. It’s probably the only public fuel source (of and kind) for over 100km. There are no shops or food outlets here. Fortunately, I grabbed some supplies when passing through Bombala and Cooma, over the past few days. Instant kitchen: pop the Tesla tailgate, pull out the Teraglide drawer and table, flip up the lid to reveal the fridge in the sub trunk. After a couple of hours to eat and chill, off to find a campsite for the night, nearby along the river. I’ll come back in the morning to use the shower. Charging: The EV charger here is just AC single phase, 7kW. That’s much skewer thana fast charger, but enough to give me 14kWh (about 23%) in the two hours I was parked…
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No petrol, no worries.
The small town of Dalgety has no working petrol station. The last working bowser I passed yesterday was about 50km away in Cooma, along with the nearest fast EV charger. But Dalgety does have hundreds of power points, including the powered camp sites at Snowy River Holiday Park. I could have used any one of them to fill up my car. It’s a beautiful spot. I car camped there last night. This morning, I pushed the Teraglide kitchen drawer back in, pressed the Deflate button on my Snuuzu mattress, flipped back the top (pictured), and moved the drivers seat back into my preferred position by hitting the Restore button in the Tesla. Super quick transformation, ready to drive on to the next camp site today. Snuuzu mattress: https://www.snuuzu.com/?bg_ref=4fKkJb495B&country=AU Discount code: TRIPPING
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DIY laundry line, in the Tesla’s “frunk”. After
my morning shower, the sun started to blaze near the front of the car. Perfect opportunity to set up a laundry line. A couple of suction cups have been very versatile, for quick adaptations, like this. I also washed off the previous day’s bugs from the windscreen, using the small squeegee that lives in the subtrunk.
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I wish my Tesla Model Y had a power point, where I could plug in my induction stove to…
…make breakfast 😞. What I need is “V2L”, which stands for “vehicle to load”. Unfortunately, my Tesla Model Y RWD does not have it. This omission almost made us switch to BYD, Kia, Xpeng or one of the many other EV car brands that provide V2L. Tesla’s CyberTruck, new Model YL, and Model Y Performance all reportedly now provide V2L. The Cybertruck has built in power points. The other two require an adapter plugged into the charge port. I can only hope that in the near future Tesla offers some retrofit option for my car. In the mean time, I just have to find a power point, in order to cook. If I had booked a powered site at this location, that would work fine. This morning, I just used the camp kitchen. My car’s massive (by camping standards) 60kWh battery provided air conditioning all night, and has run my camp fridge non stop, via the 16V outlet. It powers other mod cons, such as the lights, wireless phone charging pads, powered tailgate. For more details on this car camping trip, see…
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Good morning! Time for breakfast, after a great night’s sleep in the Tesla.
“Siri, open Tesla boot”. The tailgate opens to reveal a beautiful day, beyond my bare feet. Breakfast mode: 1. Pull out the Teraglide drawer and table. 2. Flip open the Teraglide rear lid. It’s assisted by gas struts, so it’s easy to lift and stays up, even with bedding on top of it. 3. Open the fridge in the subtrunk to get brekky supplies. This morning, that’s eggs, butter and milk. 4. Use the kitchen drawer bits to crack and whisk the eggs, add milk, soak some bread, ready to make French toast. 5. Stroll over to the camp kitchen. Fry the toast and boil some water for my thermos. Return to the Tesla. Enjoy my French toast, with a cuppa tea, overlooking the Snowy River. Nice. Links: Snuuzu: https://www.snuuzu.com/?bg_ref=4fKkJb495B&country=AU Discount code: TRIPPING
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Sleeping in the Tesla, on a Snuuzu mattress, on a Teraglide platform.
The obvious question: can I fit? Short answer: plenty of room to sleep, rollover, look at the sky, out the window, or my phone. I never banged into the glass or support arch. But, getting in is a bit tight. I had to shuffle through, like a recruit in a commando course. I also forgot to pack a collapsible stool, to step onto, high enough at the back to crawl in. The Snuuzu mattress is super comfortable. It has a few layers of foam, supported by an inflatable layer. With the back seats down, the Tesla floor slopes down towards the back, with a kink where the seats hinge. This makes sleeping uncomfortable, and slides the occupants slowly down to the boot. One way to rectify this is to add a slightly elevated floor, that is truly horizontal. That’s where the Teraglide platform comes in. Teraglide also has a basic model, without the drawer, that isn’t as high as ours. And there are car mattresses that aren’t as thick as the Snuuzu. So, my set up here is probably the highest option. This…
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Dinner next to the Snowy River.
I grabbed soup and butter from the fridge in the sub trunk. Heated the soup and toasted bread at the camp kitchen. Enjoyed the simple meal as the sun set, listening to the river. Happy place. My 35L Kings fridge is in the sub trunk. It’s powered by the car’s 16V supply, with an outlet available in the boot and driver’s console. The 16V in turn is powered by the car’s massive 60kWh battery. No need to run an engine, with noise and fumes, to keep it going. Charging: I charged up the car battery earlier today, while parked in Cooma. The hosts here at Snowy River Holiday Park confirmed that in a powered site, I could have plugged in the EV to charge. I instead elected an unpowered site, since it was a nicer spot, closer to the river.
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Setting up the Teraglide platform and Snuuzu mattress in the Tesla Model Y.
Steps: 1. Folded back seats down, using the buttons in the Tesla. 2. Slid the interleaved top of the Teraglide platform onto the folded down rear seats. 3. Moved the front seats forward. 4. Unfolded the top hinged bit of the Teraglide. 5. Clipped on the side supports of the Terglide, near the doors. 6. Placed the Snuuzu mattress bag on the Teraglide platform. 7. Unzipped the bag, unrolled the Snuuzu mattress. Unclipped the mattress and opened it up flat. 8. Pressed the `Inflate` button on the mattress. Waited a minute for it to finish, then turned it off. 9. Added bed linen, blanket and pillow. Gotchas: 1. Teraglide (the business) had warned me, after seeing earlier photos of my installation a few months ago, that I had neglected to strap down the front of the Teraglide. With this in mind, I brought along the supplied straps, but I hadn’t yet installed them. When I fully extended the kitchen drawer without anything weighing down on top of the platform, the drawer started to tip over,…
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Along the Great North Road to Wollombi, driving Mum home to Cessnock.
Stopping for a cup of tea and a snack. Instant kitchen and dining, using the Teraglide.
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All packed for another 2000km, from Emerald Victoria to Cessnock NSW, and return.
I’m driving Mum to NSW after spending Christmas in Victoria with us. Then I’m driving back home solo, car camping along the way. I’ve installed the Teraglide kitchen drawer and bed platform. The Snuuzu mattress is ready to unfurl. Teraglide: https://teraglide.com?sca_ref=8962510.vFhGsmKvrx8 Snuuzu: https://www.snuuzu.com/?bg_ref=4fKkJb495B&country=AU Discount code: TRIPPING
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Time for a break and a cup of tea.
The navigation says that the next EV charger is at Coolac, just north of Gundagai, so we stopped there. Wow. It’s a pretty bad. The chargers are great, simple and fast. But the site is woeful. The hotel is closed or being renovated. The toilets are port-a-loos, but are disgusting . I don’t know how much of that is due to infrequent maintenance versus just being the busiest time of year. There is a service station nearby with some food and hopefully better toilets, but it’s a ten minute walk away in the heat, and not an option for Mum’s walker. Some people were sheltering from the sun under the three tall trees begging the toilets. Not a great spot. Tesla/government really needs to ensure better location for EV chargers. We enjoyed a cup of tea from our thermoses, and some Christmas snacks (thank you Krissy). Some way further up the highway, we pulled over into Bookham, for a conveniently located toilet and a bit of a stretch in some broken shade. In the few minutes we were there, two…
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There are two ways to tell a story
1. Embellished: The mayor of Eurobodalla Council came out to welcome us as we rolled into Narooma. 2. Reality: We pulled into the Tesla superchargers in Narooma, to grab a brief charge, and so I could finish my half of the lamington with a cup of tea. Another Tesla Model Y Juniper pulled up next to us. The driver jumped out, said he recognised our profile as “Tesla Tripping”. He introduced himself as “Matt, the Mayor”. Mathew Hatcher - Mayor Eurobodalla Shire We had a good chat about how the council has been introducing EVs into their fleet. They’re trying to figure out if the previous ICE metrics such as 100,000km before replacement, are still relevant with EVs that are lasting much longer. Nice guy. Great welcome to the area.
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What to ask for, in a battery installation?
I suggest getting your installer to agree in writing that your battery installation will include: 1. Remote control via an app and/or website to monitor your battery and house power. 2. During a grid outage, the battery should provide backup for everything you need. 3. During a grid outage, solar continues to provide power. 4. The ability to curtail export of power to the grid when pricing is negative. 5. Compatibility with Amber Electric, if you might want to use them as your energy retailer. Let’s look at each in detail: 1. Using an app or website, you can: 1. Monitor power in and out of your battery, house and grid connection, instantaneous, daily and historical. 2. At any time, set your battery to a minimum charge percentage. 2. In the event of a grid outage: 1. The battery will switch over automatically. The installer should test it and show you. 2. The battery will power all of your home, up to the battery’s maximum power (which should be at least 5kW). 3. If you have three…
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A few neighbours and friends have asked us lately for advice about solar panels, house…
…battery, EVs etc. Here’s our real life experience, starting a series of posts on different topics. We installed solar and battery when we moved into our house (Emerald, Victoria) about two years ago. We already had an EV (electric car). This week, we finally got around to replacing our gas hot water with an electric heat pump. Next month we’re replacing our gas ducted heating with a multi head split air conditioning system. Overall, our solar and battery provide more electricity than we use. We’re also connected to the electricity grid so we can import when we need more, or export when we have a surplus. We aim to produce all the power that we need. On the rare times that we import electricity from the grid, our retailer bills us. More often, we export our surplus electricity to the grid, for which they give us a credit. Overall, we have more credit than debits, so we don’t have to pay anything. All this depends on your electricity plan, which I’ll discuss in a separate post. The…
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Heat pump installation
We finally got around to installing a hot water heat pump, to replace our gas hot water system. We were paying about $40 per month for our instant gas hot water (plus $40 connection fee). Now we’re paying nothing, because the heat pump is just using our excess solar power. Without solar, I estimate it would be costing us $8 per month to power it from the electricity grid. There are a few incentive schemes around to replace gas (or other old inefficient systems) with a heat pump. An installer will factor these into their quote. The subsidies can be significant. In our case, the total price was $4480, but it was reduced to $1650 for us to pay, after subsidies were subtracted. A hot water heat pump uses the same principle as an air conditioner (which is also a heat pump). It “pumps” heat from one side to the other. In this case, it pumps heat from the outside air into the tank of water. The basic physics is that when you compress air in a confined space, it gets hot, and when you expand…
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Part way through one of the Silo Art trails, yesterday, the sun was setting, so we booked…
…a room at the next town, at the Sea Lake Motel. This is our final overnight stop before driving the remaining 450km to home, today. Last night, almost everything in this small town was closed. The motel stocks refrigerated meals in a vending machine, for people like us stopping in at the last minute. Great idea. We chose a curry, microwaved it in our room, but then realised that the used by date on the two packets was months ago, even though the used by date on the outer packet was fine. We decided not to risk it, and happily made a picnic tea out of our car travel food. We informed the host, just so they knew. It’s the fault of the food company, not the host. Charging: I had planned to use the Evie Networks fast charger in town, in the morning, but another guest, also in a Tesla, pulled up behind us last night and said the Evie charger was faulty. A quick check in the Evie app confirmed this, and the PlugShare app comments showed it had been a problem for a while. As you can see,…
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In today’s drive, from Coober Pedy, this was the final leg from Spud's Roadhouse, Pimba…
…south to Port Augusta. We normally avoid driving at dusk, due to animal activity on the roads. We spotted many sheep along the road from unfenced properties, and a couple of cows. Just as we were leaving Pimba, a kangaroo jumped out on the other side and stared at us. It was the only alive kangaroo we’ve seen out here this trip, probably because we don’t usually drive in the twilight hours. The sunset put on its usual glorious display, tempting me to stop to take photos, but we drove on. A police car pulled over a speeder heading north. Might have saved their life, or at least a wrecked car. We drove on slowly, far behind a road train. I wasn’t game to overtake into possible oncoming wildlife. We had the Tesla on Autopilot, so it drove while we watched for movement on the sides. The maximum follow distance setting is 7 (as in the photo), but that’s too close at speed, or behind a truck that can toss up a stone, so I just manually tweaked the cruise speed to keep us further back. The…
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We arrived a day ahead of schedule at Ayers Rock Campground.
We had booked a powered site, starting from tomorrow, but none were available tonight. The staff offered us the unpowered overflow campground area. Our original plan was to charge the car at our powered site, while also running the air conditioning and accessories. Without a powered site tonight, we had to charge up the car a bit first, so we could just run it off the giant battery. We used the auto inflate button on our Snuuzu mattress, added pillows and doona. We moved the baggage to the front seats, so the bed wasn’t obstructed. While car camping in Coober Pedy a few days ago, we discovered that even with our portable wheel ramps the car’s bed floor still leans backwards too much. So, we backed the car up a small hill as well. We used our fold up spade to fill in a couple of holes from previous campers. We set the Tesla to “camp mode”, so we could sleep in the back of the car at 20°, while it was 3° outside, overnight. The trudging to the toilet in the middle of the night a couple…
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Arrived in Port Pirie, on our way north to Uluru.
Most lunch outlets were closing, so we had a “picnic lunch” from our car fridge and food bag, by the waterfront. The giant silos backdropped the inlet with the wharf, bridge and black swans. The southern Flinders ranges in the distance might be the last mountains we see for a while. We stayed at the Comfort Inn. Basic continental breakfast included, at the on site Serenity Restaurant. Simple hot options also available. Charging: There’s a fast NRMA charger at the other end of town. But we opted for the RAA destination chargers that are next to our accommodation. 7kW fully charged us after a few hours overnight. Next time, we’ll ask for one of the rooms next to the chargers
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This morning, we said goodbye to The Grampians and Halls Gap, after staying a couple of…
…nights. The cockatoos came to say goodbye. The laundry bag has started to fill the frunk, along with our shoes, charging cables, water and windscreen squeegee. We repacked the car with the Snuuzu mattress in the subtrunk, replacing the fridge, which we moved to the boot. Much easier to access it now, and we can pack the whole boot. Next leg today, to Hahndorf in South Australia. Charging: We charged up last night from the power point in the cabin. All set to go with a full battery ☺️.
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We bought a Kings camp fridge for about $208 from 4WDSupacentre.com.au.
They seem to have a different sale on every 24 hours. The staff kindly brought a display model to the car so I could check the size. It just fits in the subtrunk. We opted for the 30L model. We already had the 50L version on previous trips, but it’s a bit too big to manage in the car. After trying the sub trunk and back seat, we eventually settled on the boot, since it’s easier to access, keeps the noise away from the passengers, and allows more packing space in boot, without worrying accessing the fridge in the sub trunk. We’ll probably move it to the subtrunk when we sleep in the car. The boot cover leaves ample opening in either side for ventilation, as long as we don’t block the side wells. And the 12V power supply is conveniently located in the boot.
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We installed a Teraglide Pro in our Tesla Model Y Juniper.
It provides a flat elevated floor that expands when you lower the rear seats, a retractable drawer and table. Gas struts make it simple to access the sub trunk. Brilliant design. Stay tuned to see the assembly process, and how well it does or doesn’t work with the Snuuzu mattress.
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Travel bed research at the Melbourne EV show.
TOCA (Tesla Owners Club Australia) had a Tesla mattress on display in a Tesla Model Y Juniper (like ours). It looks fairly flat, but when we lay on it we realised that it was just hiding the dip at the base of the folded seat, by floating above it. It would be good to test it with a Teraglide flat base. But we think the Snuuzu is going to provide a noticeably more comfortable bed.
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Sizing up the rear tray of our Tesla Model Y Juniper, to see how practical it would be to…
…install a bed, and sleep in it, for some of the stops on our next road trip. The folded down seats at the front are about 15cm higher off the ground than the tray at the rear. This makes it slope down, which makes a sleeper slide down during the night, and puts pressure on your hips. We know, because we had that very problem when we tried car camping in our Model 3, a couple of years ago. Terrible night’s sleep. https://www.facebook.com/share/1AUZJN8N7k/ My second attempt worked a bit better: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Am62mtfe5/ It seems to me that all we need to do is raise the floor boards at the rear, as shown by the ad hoc blocks of wood I added. But, I think I’ll save myself the carpentry, and just buy a Teraglide platform, which is designed for this job. https://teraglide.com?sca_ref=8962510.vFhGsmKvrx8 In case you’re wondering, part of the attraction of car camping in the Tesla is that it has “Camp Mode” to keep the cabin at a comfy temperature all night. Cheaper than a…
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Time to pack some bodies into the subtrunk! There’s so much room in this thing.
We prepared for our trip today to the NSW Central Coast, via Cessnock. Charging: Charged up to 100% from the power point on the deck of the cabin. More than enough for our journey today, and no need to stop to refuel.
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We’re selling our EV.
It’s been a fantastic car, never skipped a beat. It drives as well today as the day we bought it. We’re only selling because we need a car that has seating higher off the ground (arthritic hips). Selling for $35,000. No offers. We have a week to sell it, otherwise we’ll just trade in on a new car (another EV). Tesla Model 3 RWD, 2022 (August) 0 to 100km/h in 6 seconds White paint Includes extra purchases from Tesla: - $1500 white seats/interior - $5100 Enhanced Autopilot - $250 Boom box and Pedestrian Warning System Third party included purchases: - Rubber mats for floor. - Rubber mats for boot, sub-trunk, frunk. - Original unused floor mats. - Mud flaps. Unused, not installed. Included if required. - Roof shades. - Rear spoiler. 91000 km No accidents Rego: CGU321 Rego until March 2026 Runs on sunshine ☀️ Pick up from Emerald, Victoria. Or, we can deliver it within 100km.
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The NRMA Airlie Beach Holiday Park is a shining light.
EV destination chargers at each of the new cabins. Fast chargers out front for the public. Efficient electric hot water heat pumps. On site cafe and coffee. E-bikes. Walk to nearby Coles and shopping center. This is the future. Well done, The NRMA! Missing our own EV right now, still parked back in Melbourne airport.
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Off to The Macedon Ranges today, for a Mystery Adventures Picnic.
It’s basically a foodie treasure hunt. Great Christmas gift, thank you Helen 😋. First stop at 3 Little Pigs Gisborne cafe, for coffee. Then, on through Watt's Fresh Woodend, Kyneton to Malmsbury, stopping along the way for a food platter, chocolates, bits, drinks and bread. Picnic at Malmsbury Botanic Gardens, with a walk to the Malmsbury Railway Viaduct. Charging: Charged up at home yesterday using solar, even though it was a fairly overcast day. 100% charged battery was enough for the trip there and back, plus Sentry Mode and keeping the air con running while parked at each stop along the way (to keep food and cabin cool). Returned home with 8%, ready to charge up again. Easy.
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The Xpeng G6 is a strong competition against the Tesla Model Y.
We viewed both at The Everything Electric Show (Fully Charged Show) in Sydney. A few weeks earlier, we took a G6 for a test drive at the XPENG Port Melbourne showroom (also pictured). The Xpeng G6 and Tesla Model Y both have great tech, great efficiency, ventilated and heated front seats. The G6 doesn’t have frunk storage, has small subtrunk storage, smaller boot, no glovebox, but has a bit more rear passenger room and probably more comfy seats. It has Apple Maps and Vehicle to Load (V2L). It is $10k cheaper, but requires paid regular servicing and and has longer warranty. It includes auto lane change (extra purchase on the Tesla). The Tesla has faster acceleration, sportier handling, one pedal driving comes to a full stop without the brake, and has more fast charging options. It has a screen for rear passengers and powered rear seat folding. It has much more storage overall, including huge sub trunk, boot and frunk. It has a better sound system, even though it has slightly less…
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Movember: How did Marvin the Mower go, maintaining our lawn while we were away in Europe…
…for two months? I’d like to say that he effortlessly mowed our 1500m2 lawn. But the reality wasn’t quite perfect. On the plus side: from the other side of the world, I could use the Mammotion app to mow any zones of our lawn. I could have scheduled it, but didn’t. I occasionally watched from my iPhone, through the mower’s camera, to check the grass length and also general security. It did a great job of the areas that it mowed. On the negatives: Marvin got stuck many times on the half buried round log next to the charging station. Wheels would go either side of the log, leaving Marvin floundering like a turtle, unable to touch the ground with the wheels. After returning, we “fixed” the problem by using an upturned table, and later just a block of wood. Similarly, he got stuck a few times on a raised edge (pictured). There seems to be some recent software glitch, where the mower leaves an occasional strip of unmowed grass, one mower width from the zone edge. This became very…
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October 31 - November 2: After a series of Halloween misadventures, we finally made it to…
…our accommodation, south east of Paris. Beautiful buildings, set on a farm. Breakfast set by Jerome each morning. Charging: The site included a destination charger, but we didn’t end up using it, since we already charged up when stopping for dinner.
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The long flight home from Amsterdam, via Singapore, back to Melbourne.
to Melbourne. First, a quick correction to Tom’s inside out t-shirt – it was a chaotic morning getting to the airport. The food and service on Singapore AIRLINES was great. The in flight wifi is good, but connecting to it is more complicated than it should be. We couldn’t sleep. Towards the end, we looked at each other in despair and lamented “the human body was not designed to endure this”. Final leg from Melbourne Airport to home in Emerald via Uber in a Tesla Model 3, just like ours. We were impressed how the driver managed to fit all our luggage in the boot. Just in time for a well earned sleep 😴. Next morning: removal of the Europe road trip beard.
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Up early (ish) to drive the Tesla to the airport.
Luckily we allowed extra time, because a bus breakdown at the airport delayed us by an hour. And then trying to find where to return the rental car took us ages. UFODRIVE needs to improve the airport drop off instructions. But the rest of the return process worked pretty well. All from within the app, take some photos and finalise to lock the car.
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Our final night in Amsterdam, and the Netherlands, and Europe, before our long flight…
…home tomorrow.
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We can cross “electric hearse” off our list of electric vehicles to see 😮. Seems
to be a custom converted Tesla.
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Our last meet up with cousin Nico, in Amsterdam, for lunch at the Noorderlicht Café.
Converted docklands with some interesting large artwork. We’ve spent two months in Europe. We hired a Tesla Model Y from UFODRIVE in the Netherlands, visited Germany for lunch, drove all over the Netherlands, then through Belgium, France and Switzerland, down to Italy, and back. We left Nico with a “gift bag” of all the road tripping gear (cooler bag, utensils etc) that wouldn’t fit in our plane baggage tomorrow. Sad to say goodbye, but lots of great memories.
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A lazy wander around Amsterdam.
Really need to pay attention when crossing the road. Watch out for tiny cars, electric bikes, trams, line marking machines, horses, even stilts.
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A day wandering around Amsterdam, starting at the Van Gogh Museum.
Lunch next to the canal. No fumes or noise from the many passing tour boats, because they are all electric. Blissful. Charging: Our car sat in the parking station, while we wandered. Many charging options around town, next to standard parking spots.
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Full circle through Europe, after nearly 8000km, back to Amsterdam.
We checked in at the Clayton Hotel. Parking across the canal at QPark – not cheap in the city, for a few days. Tight fit. Several EV charging points. The nearby Albert Heijn store stocked Australian Lindermans wine. Charging: No need to charge. We’ll return the car in a few days. UFODRIVE only requires 20% charge when returning the EV. Much better than the typical rental petrol car full tank requirement.
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We drove from France, through Belgium, back to Amsterdam.
First stop, in Lesquin France, at a McDonalds for lunch. This was our first and only fast food chain stop while in Europe. We were curious to see if it was much different to home. The French fries on the menu are, of course, just called “fries” (or “frites”, in French). They also offer plant based chicken nuggets. Charging: We parked next door to McDonald’s, at the Tesla Supercharger, which filled us up from 7% arrival, while we had lunch. We tried a Shell charger at a highway service station, while we were stopped for a few minutes toilet break. Another toilet break at a KFC offered us a few minutes to top up at the Tesla Supercharger there. Charging is what the car does while you’re doing something else.
Formerly: Tesla Tripping
Come along on our EV road trips around Australia and Europe, and follow as we progressively electrify our home in Emerald, Victoria.
Join us on the road. We set off in late 2022 and drove eastern Australia in our Tesla Model 3 — Sydney, Dubbo, Armidale, Brisbane, Cape Tribulation, then down through Queensland and back. We've since upgraded to a Model Y.
We've kept exploring — Uluru, the Snowy Mountains and Gippsland, and a longer run through Europe in 2024. There's plenty more on the map, so come along for the next leg.
At home in Emerald, in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges, we're progressively electrifying everything: rooftop solar, a home battery, a hot water heat pump, air conditioned heating and cooling, and EV charging straight from the sun. We're going fully electric, off the gas.
Got questions, or insights of your own? We'd love to hear them — please drop a comment on any post.