The next morning, I head straight for the nearest supercharger station in Mountain View. Installed in an office building neighbourhood, the station is surprisingly busy on this sunday early morning, with only two stalls out of twelve available. Model S and Model X owners are either trying to save a few bucks on their monthly electric bill, or do not have access to a plug, which is surprising for this affluent demographic in a largely single family home region.

Supercharing Model 3 is not free, i load up 128 miles of range (206 km) in 32 minutes at a cost of 7.80$, or 3.80$ for 100 km. Relatively cheap, even in a region where gas costs 90 cents per liter.

I free my charging port to let another pioneer of electric mobility get his fix and aim the somewhat controversial nose of the Model 3 toward the eastern shore of the bay. Model 3 retains the playful aspect of Model S and Model X. Torque is available instantaneously and delivers balistic acceleration, leaving behind the vast majority of four wheeled moving objects. Torque and power specifications remain a mystery. Tesla does not disclose any figures, some sources place torque at 430 Nm and power at 258 hp. Acceleration from 0 to 96 km/h is claimed in 5.1s.

Use of the the large touchscreen becomes intuitive quite quickly but few functions are accessible without clicking, swiping and navigating sub-menus. While the cost reduction rationale is understandable, the ergonomy is more questionable. The graphical user interface is true to Tesla standards, with clean and smooth graphics, and the introduction of destinations in the navigation system very easy. Model 3 supports keyless access through a smartphone app, but we were forced to use the valet key, a frustrating smart card which require close proximity to the B pillar to open the door, and the center console to activate motion.