From Diesel to Data: My 10-Year Leap into the Tesla Model Y

​For ten years, our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander was a central part of our lives. We bought it back in 2016, and it was a car we genuinely loved. It was reliable, familiar, and served my wife so well that we planned to keep it until the wheels fell off. But as 2025 began, the car started showing its age in ways that felt, frankly, a bit scary.

​It started with a dim headlight. When the mechanic quoted me $600 for a used part—only to "find" a new one for $400 two hours later—I felt uneasy. It reminded me of a $2,000 parking brake failure from 2023. The "babel" in my head was getting louder: maintaining our 10-year companion was becoming a gamble I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep playing.

​I started looking at the "sensible" choices: the Toyota RAV4 or the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro. To be honest, I was leaning toward the Chery just to get a fresh start for under $50k. I was almost ready to make the move back into another petrol car, but then I heard a rumor: The BYD Sealion 7 was coming to Australia.

​The Sliding Doors Moment: If I hadn't made that choice to wait for the Sealion 7, I almost certainly would have settled for another ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car.

​Tesla wasn't even on my radar back then—I thought they were too radical, too minimalist, and definitely out of my budget.

​The Six-Month Wait and the Sunday Hike

​I waited six months for the BYD to arrive. During that time, the "babel" shifted again. During a regular Sunday hike, a friend mentioned that FSD (Full Self-Driving) had finally been approved for Australia. Our whole hiking gang went for a test drive, and that experience was a revelation. As I said in my friend’s YouTube video of the day, I was "shitting my pants," but I loved every second of it.

​When the Sealion 7 finally arrived, I spent weeks comparing it against the Model Y, the Zeekr 7X, and others. While the BYD looked "premium" with its 360-degree camera and V2L, I realized something critical: it lacked the hardware to ever truly run FSD. As a software guy, I was drawn to how the Tesla "comes alive" the moment you step in. I realized I could live without the BYD’s extra features, but I couldn't ignore the Tesla’s software integration.

​The Novated Lease: Learning the Math

​I’ll admit, I didn't fully understand the novated lease at first. It felt like another layer of complexity. But as I dug into it, I realized it was the "no-brainer" that made this whole transition possible.

• ​GST is not payable on the lease.
• ​FBT (Fringe Benefits Tax) is waived for EVs in Australia.
• ​The Result: The monthly impact on my salary was remarkably close to what I was already paying just to keep my old diesel on the road.

​We pulled the trigger in late November, but the Santa Fe didn't go quietly. While waiting for eBay parts to fix it up for a private sale, the intake manifold developed a leak. The repair cost was more than the car was worth. I ended up selling it to a colleague who flips cars for the trade-in value—a humble end for a loyal ten-year friend.

​The First 2,000 Kilometers: Becoming a Believer

​Finally, delivery day came and taking delivery was a breeze. I had my entire driver profile and settings configured exactly how I wanted in just 15 minutes. From that moment, it felt like my car.

​Our first drive was to the temple. Despite the gear selector being on the screen and the aggressive "one-pedal" braking, it only took me two minutes to adjust. My wife was playing with the settings on the way, and by the time we arrived, we found everything we wanted as if we’d been driving this car for years.

​Two days later, we were off to the Grampians. I was still a skeptic, so I subscribed to FSD for the trip. Once it roared to life past Keith, I was stunned. On the motorway to Melbourne, it was like a ghost in the machine—indicating, overtaking, and merging perfectly.

​But it wasn't just the driving; it was how the car looked after us:

• ​Climate Control: In the scorching Australian heat, we’d return from a hike to a cabin the car had kept at the perfect temperature.
• ​Passenger Experience: I loved how the software let my passengers interact with the screen without disrupting me. At night, the cabin transformed—the dark theme was easy on the eyes, and a soft ambient light illuminated the passengers' legs.
• ​Polite Tech: The Matrix LED headlights would "cut out" a dark patch specifically for the car in front so I didn't blind them, and with Auto Shift, I didn't even have to touch the gear selector.

​The "Stunned" Moments

​The social side of the car was just as fascinating. In Stawell, a lady at a bakery asked if the Model Y could really handle interstate trips. I saw myself in her—the same skepticism I had only months before. In Horsham, I used the Autopark feature at a Hungry Jacks. The guys in the car next to us were absolutely stunned, watching the steering wheel move by itself as the car tucked into the bay.

​The real test, though, was crossing Melbourne at night in a drizzle. Navigating the flyovers and tunnels was stress-free. My wife, who usually helps me navigate, could finally just relax. I later demoed FSD to my relatives in Melbourne, and seeing their awe made me realize they were now seriously considering Teslas for themselves.

​The Verdict

​It isn’t perfect. It still struggles with specific speed limits on the Adelaide Hills descent and can be a bit "pushy" in heavy traffic. But for long drives, it is a total game-changer. I went from a skeptic to a believer.

​I made a mistake not buying FSD upfront with the inventory discount, but one thing is certain: I’ll be enabling it for every long drive from here on out. The babel in my mind has finally settled—and it’s electric.

An interesting start to the day!

The day started very differently as compared to past few days. Past few days have been very hot and uncomfortable even with the air condition on. Where as today, it was really pleasant and felt really fresh when I looked out of my bedroom window while lying in the bed.

Anyway, I am here not to talk about the weather. Of course, the weather set the tone of the day.

Yesterday, I missed my bus. I was on time. I reached at the bus stop and did not see any one and instantly I knew that I missed the bus. The next bus did not show up and I was on bus stop for half an hour in 40 deg cel temperature.

Today, I was before time for the bus. I got ready early and went to bus stop even though I was early by 10 minutes. I have to cross the road to get to the bus stop. As I was about to cross, I saw the bus zipping at the speed limit. The driver and I looked at each other and he knew that I was crossing the road for the bus. Next thing I did was looked at the empty bus stop and decided that I missed the bus. I did not feel too bad about it because it was the previous bus, not the one I was looking for. Anyway, the bus never stops for the passengers on the other side of the road. I was in the process of crossing the road with this thought process and guess what?? the bus stopped waiting for me.

I ran as fast as I could so that people in the bus have to wait for the minimum time. I hate when the bus is waiting for someone and that fellow takes his/her own sweet time to get onto the bus. I thanked the driver for waiting; the driver took off. I validated the ticket. While I was validating the ticket, I spotted an Indian looking old lady, probably around the same age as my grand-ma, smiling at me. It looked like she was with few others with similar age but not from Indian background. I smiled back at her and occupied a seat thinking that the the lady was Indian or SriLankan.

The journey was real quick. By the time I finished checking my e-mails and news paper, I was in the city and saw that the lady was about to get down with her friends. The bus stopped and people started getting down and instead of getting down the lady rushed to me and started talking to me. She told me "I am telling you this because you are of the same colour. You must thank the driver before getting down as he waited for you." She then quickly went out of the door. It took me a second to register what was happening. I saw that only the part of the group with that old lady got down. One thing though, I was certain that she was SriLankan as soon as she started talking.

Oh man, this small incident generated a ripple effect in my mind. I started thinking that she probably did not realize that I had thanked the driver when I was getting on board or did she want me to thank the driver again? Why did she tell me this? Why did she mention the colour? Did she find me that friendly to be able to take the liberty of giving me her two cents?

My mind went into a debate mode and I could write another blog about it. Her friends got down at the next bus stop and all of them said bye to me when they got down. It almost looked like that they were delivering the same message as their friend. The next stop was mine and I thanked the driver again before getting down.

I thought it was an interesting start to the day!

Roasted Asparagus With Tofu

Last couple of weeks have been good. I have been trying new dishes. I made Tandoori platter the last week and Roasted Asparagus with Tofu today. Both the dishes would rank very high on health count. Tandoori platter was very yummy but I need to refine it a bit before I share it.

I was in the super market and saw bunches of Asparagus and picked up a couple instantly without thinking much. I was not sure what to make out of it since I really have not used this ingredient before today. I knew at least one dish out of it - thanks to my friend but I thought it would be good to try something new. I went to the resource mine called internet and found few recipes in a fraction of seconds. I took the original recipe and added my variation and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
• 1 Large onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 200 gram tofu, diced
  
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4-5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Chilly flakes, salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Prepare asparagus, onion, garlic and tofu.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 200 deg cel.
3. Put the asparagus, onion, garlic, and tofu in a large bowl. Pour the olive oil vinegar over and season with salt, pepper and chilly flakes. Mix it and ensure that dressing is coated evenly.
   
4. Spread them out on a baking tray. The olive oil, vinegar and garlic dressing may remain in the bowl. Please do not discard it.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until asparagus tender & bright green and tofu golden brwon. Half way through turn the sides, specially the asparagus.
6. Remove from the oven and mix it with the remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

I know what you are looking for. A photo? Sorry, I did not take it as I was too eager to try the dish out. It was over before I could think of taking a picture :D.

The dish is really easy to make and quite healthy. The red wine vinegar is growing on me. Please try this out. I am sure you will enjoy it!

Biryani - My way

Hummm... I had promised to keep coming back to writing but it did not happen. I am writing after some break; but at least I am back. :-) My first blog was a bit heavy. I want to keep this one a bit light.

Let me spill out some of my secrets. I love food. I love to make good dishes and always am ready to try out new things. I do not get to cook during working days - my wife takes control of the kitchen and I get to be the king of kitchen over the weekend.

I made Vegetable Biryani over the weekend. The result was awesome! That is why I decided to write about it. :-) I hear you ask what is the big deal about it. Well, the big deal is I made this Biryani for the first time after beginning of 2006. Now, you are thinking that so much of love for Biryani that I came back to making it after almost three years. Well, I have my reasons. My wife had issue with spicy flavour - specially the "Garam Masala" flavour during pre and post preggy time. As I was in India, it was easy to eat Biryani out with colleagues and friends. That way she was happy that we did not have to make it and I was happy as I got to eat it! Anyways, now the story is different and we are back to making everything again. I was kinda craving for it.

O.K. - enough of background. Let's concentrate on making the "Birayani". I will write my recipe here and if you like it let me know. Alternatively, I am happy to have more suggestions. My recipe is from one of the recipe books - but I have tailored it the way it suits me. The listed ingredients will serve four to five people.

I rely on Red Gravy for making Biryani. So let's first look at Red Gravy recipe.

Red Gravy Ingredients:

• 20 gram Ginger
• 5 Red Kashmiri Chillies
• 3-5 Garlic cloves
• 3 Small pieces of cinnamon
• 3-5 Small cardamom
• 3 Cloves
• 2 Tea spoon garam masala
• 1 Tea spoon dhana-jeera
• 0.25 Tea spoon turmeric
• 50 grams Butter
• 100 grams Tomato puree
• 3 Onions (medium size)
• 1 Red capsicum
• Salt according to taste
• Oil (up to two table spoon)

Red Gravy Procedure:

• Make paste out of ginger, chillies, garlic, cinnamon, cardamon and cloves.
• Heat some oil (around one to two table spoon).
• Once the oil is hot, add the paste suggested in steps above. Let it cook for three to five minutes.
  
• Add onion and & capsicum paste and tomato puree to the stuff that is already being cooked.
  
• Add the remaining spices and let it cook for around ten minutes.
• Add butter and salt and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Biryani Ingredients:

• Two cup rice
  
• 50 grams Cauliflower
• 50 grams French beans
• 50 grams Peas
• 50 grams Corn kernels
• 50 grams Cabbage
• 50 grams Carrot
• One Green capsicum
  
• Cashew
• Almond
• Peanuts
• Coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• Salt according to taste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp ghee / oil
  

Biryani Procedure:

• Chop all vegetables. Chop vegetables like beans, carrot, cabbage and capsicum long of the same size.
• Once vegetables are chopped, start boiling them. Make sure they are cooked but not over cooked so that they do not get mashed up.
• Once the vegetables are done, drain the water and add the vegetables to the red gravy. Cook the vegetables for a couple of minutes with the red gravy.
• While vegetables are getting done, put the rice for cooking.
• Wash rice thoroughly. Add garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, salt, lemon and ghee to rice. Put only 80% of required water and keep rice for cooking in microwave for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes stir rice and check if it is nearly done or not. If it is not done then let it cook for couple of minutes.
• This way the rice would be nearly done and would not be sticky.
• Now take a bowl. Make around four layers of rice and vegetables alternately with vegetables on the top.
• Put this layered stuff for cooking in microwave for 3 minutes so that rice is cooked completely.
• Decorate Biryani with cashew, almond peanuts and coriander.
  

I have eaten Biryani at different places and Biryani with this recipe turned out to be one of the best ones. You reached here because you are interested in recipe. So try out this recipe and let me know.