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…

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…

Ducted air conditioning (or heating) is inefficient.

Let me explain, and see what you think. I am not a fan (pun intended) of ducted. It seems to be very inefficient. But only one in five air con sales reps seem to agree with my reasoning. At our previous home, in Saratoga NSW, we had a large (10kW) ducted air con system upstairs, which included all the bedrooms. When we just wanted to cool or heat one room, we tried to close the door of that room. But the door would slam shut and whistle, as the air would try to escape. The ducted air con had one or two outlets in each room’s roof. It had one shared return vent in the hall. Turning on the air con in a single room, the air needed to return to the hall to circulate. Closing the door blocked that path and made the pump work extra hard. The thermostat was also in the hall, as part of the control unit. We could set the target temperature of a room to say 22°C, but the room might cool down to 18° before the hall thermostat would register 22°, with a temperature gradient between the two. The…

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.

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.…

Multi-head air conditioning installation, stage 1.

tion, stage 1. The original plan was to install a multi head system, with five heads (one in each of five rooms), and one shared compressor, outside. Due to a change of plans (see “Problems” below), we end up with three heads on our multi-head system, covering our downstairs living area (lounge, dining, kitchen), master bedroom, and guest room. Configuration: Shared compressor: 18kW (though much lower in actual use) Head 1: Master bedroom: 2.8kW Head 2: Guest room: 2.8kW Head 3: Living area: 8.4kW Cost: The original quote was for a five head system, including two more 2.8kW heads and a slightly larger 20kW compressor. $14,776 Emerald 20kW with 5 x heads -$7,140 VEECS discount -$386 EOY Sale $7,250 Total inc GST Inclusions: Removal of Gas ducted system 1 (no duct removal) Double storey We paid about 20% deposit up front, and the rest on completion. As you can see above, the VEECS rebate/discount paid for about half of the system. As part of the project, we replaced the existing gas…

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:

I’ve come across a few ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles that could benefit from…

…charging points. Bear with me here. This ambulance, parked outside a nursing home, was running the engine, with no-one in it, I presume to keep the air con running, on what was a pretty hot day. Perhaps they were keeping the vehicle cool for a patient they were collecting. Fair enough. But, of course this leaks fumes (and noise) into the car park and reception, which isn’t great for health. I noticed that it has a power socket at the rear of the vehicle. I’m wondering if they could plug that into an electrical supply, if there was one at the parking spot (but wasn’t one handy here). This rental van I’m guessing has refrigeration, parked outside a butchers in Emerald. They made use of the external power socket, creatively plugging in from the shop. No noise or fumes. I wonder if it would be handy to have more accessible power points for these ICE vehicles? Or better yet, have electric vans that can keep cool without an engine, and recharge from a power point. One day soon, maybe.

First service call for our Tesla Model Y. Replacing our loaner wheel with a new wheel.

As you can see in our posts from a few weeks ago, we hit a pothole, damaging our left rear wheel. At the time, we only knew that we had a slow leak. We logged the problem in the Tesla app. They arranged for roadside assistance to come to us, in about an hour, to install a loaner wheel, and take ours away to diagnose. Today, Tesla replaced the loan wheel with a new wheel, costing a whopping $1319. I asked them to clean the damaged wheel and put it in the back of the car. In the photos, you can see the buckle and crack. I am wondering if it is fixable. When I booked this service in the app, I also asked them to fix the water in the light bar, and some issues with the steering wheel buttons. They replaced both. I’ll discuss the steering wheel buttons in a separate post. All covered under warranty. I had a bit of trouble figuring out where to leave the car. Several after me also mistakenly parked in front of the waiting lounge, next to a sign that probably shouldn’t be there. One of the…

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:

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?

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:

Harkening back to my motorcycle days, enjoying the endless curves along the Bonang Road…

…from Tubbut to Orbost, Victoria, leaving the Snowy Mountains. The Tesla handled the drive beautifully. FSD off, for some driving fun. I had to watch out for quite a few sharp dips, barely marked with crayon width paint on the road. This road has stopping spaces specifically for motorcycles (pictured). Yesterday, I grabbed some groceries in Bombala and noticed the "Welcomes Motorcyclists" sign. Before we bought our first EV in 2022, we did a lot of motorcycle road trips. As you can see from the photos from a decade ago, we haven't aged at all! 😉. I'd love to see some "Welcomes EVs" signs in regional places. My stay last night in Tubbut was thanks, in part, to the simple EV changer provided by Gippsland Climate Change Network. They are on to something! Charging: I'm planning to stop for a break and grab lunch in Orbost. I'll charge at the fast charger while the car is parked anyway.

Heading south, out of the Snowy Mountains, from my overnight camp near Tubbut, towards…

…Orbost. Beautiful mist topped mountains, after last night’s rain. After about 20km of dirt road, I spotted tar, and another sign warning that there’s no petrol around here. Charging: I charged earlier this morning in Tubbut, while having breakfast and a shower. Great facilities for such a remote location. It’s only a slow charger, which topped me up 40% battery. I generally only charge while parked anyway, rather than waiting around. The navigation says I’ll get to Orbost with 11% charge, which is fine. There’s a fast charger there for me to use while I have lunch. Disappointingly, the Tesla’s Trip Planner doesn’t recognise the Chargefox charger in Orbost as a charging destination, so doesn’t realise that will give me enough to get home. It tried to reroute me the long way around, south east through Cann River, where there is a Tesla Supercharger. I have played this game before, so I just turned off “Trip Planner” to force it to take me directly through Orbost.

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:

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…

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…

In search for a place to camp tonight, I gambled on the solitary green pin that appeared…

…in the PlugShare app (see screenshot), west of me, way off the beaten track, across the Victorian border, in a little town named Tubbut. Plugshare showed no check-ins at that location, but the Chargefox app said it was functional. WikiCamps also showed some freecamp options around there, so it looked like a good option for the night. It was a beautiful drive, along some windy unsealed roads. I followed the navigation, but ended up in the middle of nowhere, I think due to the Apple Maps and Tesla map using different references. At this point, I wished I had Apple CarPlay, so I could show the PlugShare map on the big screen. Turning back a few kilometers, I found “the town”, which is basically just a community hall with add-ons. Fortunately one of the add-ons is the Chargefox EV charger. It exists! And it works! There’s a fuel bowser across the road (pictured), but I don’t think it’s been operational in years. I think the nearest petrol station is over a hundred kilometers away.…

Creekside stop in Delegate.

Pop the tailgate, pull out the kitchen drawer and dining table, grab some sustenance from the fridge. Chilling in the shade, on my collapsible camp chair. Nice. Right next to a camp site, complete with amenities. I need to find a campsite for tonight, but I’ll go further south west. Charging: No EV chargers around here. But plenty of power points, if I was desperate and staying a few hours. No petrol nearby either, according to the sign (pictured). Links:

Heading further across the high plains in the Snowy Mountains.

Not a lot of trees around, but a few wind turbines and windmills, not bothering the livestock or mobs of kangaroos.

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

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.

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…

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

Photo op in Bredbo, before stopping in Cooma to figure out where to camp tonight.

On the way, I used the Tesla’s navigation to search for “campground” and similar. One option was The NRMA park in Jindabyne. I tapped the phone icon, to make a call. Handy to do it all from the car’s controls. Unfortunately, all their powered and unpowered sites were booked for tonight. This looked like a job for WikiCamps. Since Tesla doesn’t support Apple CarPlay, I needed to pull over to use my phone. Whenever parking, I aim to charge, so I don’t lose any time. So, I pulled into the new-ish Tesla Superchargers in Cooma. This is the second site in Cooma, with more chargers and faster speed. But the only service nearby seemed to be KFC (again 🤔). No matter, I just wanted time to access my phone. Snowy River Holiday Park looks great. I rang them, gave them my ETA, entered it into the navigation, added Cooma Coles as the first destination, so I could grab some supplies. Cooma Coles also has Tesla Superchargers, but fewer and a bit slower. It does have Coles and more amenities, so I…

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…

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.

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,…

Just me, the Tesla, and some brown snakes, along Lake George, near Canberra, on the way…

…to The Snowy Mountains.

KFC’s eleven secret herbs and spices craving kicked in, as it does about one every six…

…months. Don’t judge me – I had vegan breakfast and dinner 😉. This is probably the busiest time of the year for places like this. The car park was littered with overflowing rubbish. KFC was packed and “Fast” food took a long time. I ordered a snack combo box from the kiosk screen, and dreamed of the carb fest, dipping my bread roll in mash and gravy. Imagine my disappointment when they had substituted the mash with a second small chips. How do I dip a bread roll in that? When I asked, they said they had run out of mash and gravy. Their kiosk ordering system needs an update. The poor staff were stretched to the limit. At the end of the toilet queue was only one functioning cubicle, due to a blocked overflowed urinal stall 😬. Crazy times. Back on the road, it turns out that FLG KFC works well with FSD. Charging: The EV charging, despite all the busyness, was smooth and quick. Fortunately, none of these stalls seemed to be blocked. Lots of cars coming and going, but no actual queuing…

A quick shop at Erina Fair, on the NSW Central Coast, before heading south to The Snowy…

…Mountains, where I will car camp tonight. Charging: Since I’m parking for a few minutes anyway, I connected to one of the newish Evie DC chargers in the Erina Fair carpark. Previously, the only public charging option around here was the Tesla destination chargers in the next car park. Those are free, slower (11kW) than fast chargers, in an awkward parking spot, most often busy, sometimes ICEd. Using the Evie chargers is a breeze – just park and plug in. Since I’ve already setup “AutoCharge”, the system recognises my car without needing to use an app or credit card. The max charge rate seems to be 75kW if I’m the only one at the “bowser”, but reduces to 50kW if another is also in use. Perhaps as low as 25kW if all four are in use? Even when mine was nearly finished and only drawing 6kW, the next charger was limited to 50kW until I stopped.

A quick swim at the beach, while passing through my old stomping ground – The NSW Central…

…Coast. Amber invited me for some delicious meals. She’s house sitting, but she really does it for the puppy cuddles. I can’t imagine where my daughter gets the nomadic influence.

First time using the new Tesla Superchargers in West Gosford.

It’s a bit of a walk to find a toilet or food. Fortunately, all I needed was some time to answer messages. I watched a BYD Shark ute pull up, front first, then switched to rear first, then seemingly gave up. Maybe their first time at a public charger?

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.

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

Overnight stay at Best Western Plus Goulburn, to break up my road trip from my home in…

…Emerald Victoria, to hers in Cessnock NSW. Really nice motel and staff. Great breakfast. Charging: Bonus: free EV charging on site. We could have avoided our previous stop in Coolac, altogether, and just charged here overnight at 11kW. In the morning, when I was packing the car, another Tesla Model Y Juniper pulled up, with a family doing a similar trip to us. I moved my car out of the way, so they could connect. They couldn’t quite get the plug in, so I helped and showed them. When I returned from checking out at reception, I noticed that the family were sitting in the car. As the driver got out, he said “it’s very slow”. I asked if he was staying at the motel. He said no. I explained that this is just a destination charger, which is designed for people staying here, and that he’d be better off using one of the two Tesla Supercharger sites in town. It reminds me of how very little we knew when we were thinking of buying an EV, over three years ago. I wonder if there’s a…

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…

We checked out the new Tesla Superchargers in Batemans Bay. Super fast.

The fish and chips shop next door didn’t have anywhere to eat. The Catalina Club, which hosts the Tesla chargers in the car park was the obvious choice for lunch. We needed shoes to get in 😉. And ID. What a great find. Good food, impressive facilities. Thank you Marie for showing us around. Charging: Charging finished by the time we ordered dinner, so I had to move the car. Unfortunately, no shade in the car park on a very hot day. I kept the air con running in the car to keep our belongings and food cold. No engine, no fumes.

Our Tesla Model Y Juniper has water buildup in the light bar.

Perhaps the recent heavy rain popped a seal. Or is it leaking blinker fluid? 😉 I guess we’ll be booking a warranty service in the new year.

Surveying the road ahead, from Bald Hill Lookout, at Stanwell Tops.

On the way down, we converted gravitational potential energy into battery potential energy, adding about a few percent charge.

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.

Our first flat tyre!

Soon after leaving Gerringong this morning, we noticed in the Tesla’s screen that the rear passenger side tyre had a lower pressure than the others. We have a pump, but it was packed under the boot floor, under all our luggage. I pulled into the first service station we passed, asked the attendant where the pump was. They pointed to a box in the store room and said they’re waiting for it to be installed. A few kilometers down the road, we found a connected pump at a second service station. But the round gauge (pictured) wasn’t accurate, showing about 20psi more than correct. Just like a Goldilocks story, the third station was “just right”. We pumped up, using the digital settings, drove on, watching the Tesla screen for any reduction. During the next 100km, the tyres warmed up and increased pressure. Initially it seemed that the previously low pressure tyre might be fine, but then we saw it very slowly drop. I’m guessing it was taking about six hours to lose 10psi. We just kept…

Brief stop at the Kiama Blowhole on our way back through the south coast of NSW.

Overnight stay in Gerringong.

y in Gerringong. Ute metrics take 1.1 parking spots each, so we had to do some creative parking (after checking with reception). Helicopter formation flyover. No idea why. Charging: Park Ridge Retreat has on site destination charging. Their payment system is a bit unusual. To charge, pay $25 flat fee to reception, and they will enable a charger and meet you in the lower floor parking. We only needed a small top up, so $25 wasn’t worth it for us. But if you’re staying for a few days, you only pay the $25 once during your stay, for multiple charging sessions.

How about a car with free fuel, household power and heating, for life?

That’s an attractive offer. Driving past some housing estates near Newcastle, NSW.

A couple of visits to Williamtown RAAF Airbase, competing with die hard plane spotters.

plane spotters. If you look closely, the fighter jets seem to land for a KFC drive-through. Behind the scenes private family tour of the base and F35 workshop. No photos allowed, sorry.

Good to see some highway signs now including EV chargers.

Last night we stayed at the Mittagong Motel. Good value stopover.

Bonus EV charger in the car park. Unfortunately, the driver of a truck and trailer apparently couldn’t read the sign that specified that spot being just for EV charging. So, we had to do some creative parking and cabling to connect. In the morning, fully charged for the final drive to Newcastle.

First leg on our 4000km journey: Emerald to Maffra, in Gippsland Victoria.

The tall trees of our Dandenong Ranges gave way to rolling green hills. FSD (Full Self Driving) makes the (non) driving a breeze. One minute I’m singing its praises after it flawlessly indicates and merges into traffic. The next I’m cussing at it for complaining that I was looking at the navigation too long. We stopped in Maffra to grab some lunch, and just made it before small-town-closes-o-clock (2pm), to grab a veg toastie, banana bread and coffee. Next, north, over the alps towards Bright. What are the chances of a sealed road all the way? Charging: We left home with a full tank of solar. At Maffra, we still had 69%, so we didn’t _need_ to charge. But, whenever we’re parked, we aim to plug in. We used the Evie charger conveniently located in the car park behind the barista. It was only 50kW but had fully topped up by the time we were ready to leave. Evie’s “Autocharge” feature is great. You just plug your car in and walk away. The charger system recognises your car, and which…

Lunch stop at Oliver's, just outside Gundagai. I recommend the Oli burger 🍔.

Tesla Model 3 with stripes parked near us. FSD along most of the Hume Highway. It does a great job, and avoids human fatigue. A few complaints, though, including it repeatedly thinking that the speed limit is 100, even when it’s actually 110 (pictured). Occasionally it dropped to 80 or 40, presumably after seeing some random sign off the highway. Pretty good driving efficiency with FSD, too, about 14kWh per 100km. See screenshots. Charging: Tesla Superchargers conveniently located in the car park behind Oliver’s. It’s the first EV charging station I recall noticing, many years ago, long before we went electric. We just park, plug in, walk away. Charging finished just as we finished lunch. Perfect. Takes less than ten seconds of our time. Most Tesla chargers these days are compatible with all EVs. But these at Oliver’s are Tesla only. The general EV chargers have moved next door, to The Dog on the Tuckerbox. It’s now just one unit, with two cables. A few kilometres up the road, in…