Few companies have made a bigger impact on the EV scene than Tesla. So its high time that I got myself into one and gave the Tesla model 3 a spin. I was amazed by the performance, a light touch of the accelerator sent the model 3 flying, and I really had to be careful not to overly exceed the speed-limit. Its a different beast to drive as most controls are done through the center console touch screen, further some features such as turning on the high beam headlights are automated in a way that I did not like. Nevertheless, I feel that Tesla has produced a fine EV in the model 3, albeit a somewhat expensive one that does take some getting used to.
The Tesla Model 3 regularly tops sales charts in many countries (see for example here or here). This is an incredible achievement that Tesla should be proud of, getting people into EV’s is a tall order, so I am very happy to see Tesla succeed.
The Tesla Model 3 has impressive specifications: More than 500 km of range (for the long range variant), 0-60 mph in 3-6 seconds, 250 kW super charging capability, 649 l of cargo and so on, all top of the line numbers that anyone should be happy with plus it might even drive itself. Price at 60-80 000$ is on the high side when compared with other EV’s and non-EV luxury brands (say BMW, or Audi). Plus there is a queue to get one that stretches well into this year, if not the next.
The interior is spartan: A wheel, two control arms, brake/accelerator pedals and some window controls that’s it buttons wise. This forces a large number of interactions to take place via the touch screen. Some I found pretty natural: Working the navigation system, picking some tunes via Spotify say. While others were strange: Adjusting the windshield wiper blade speed, adjusting the cabin temperature settings, turning on seat warmers.
There is also no “on/off button” so I found it eerie just to leave the car, while it did seem to mostly turn off, I did notice a ~5 % battery drain when we left the car parked overnight. Further, the kids found ways to turn the car into “Santa’s sleigh” which did put a smile on my face, although the blinker-jingles got a little old after a few roundabouts.
Somehow the brights turned on automatically when the car detected no oncoming traffic at night. While id did turn off the brights as oncoming traffic approached, it did so only when oncoming cars got within 50 m or so, which I felt was too close (some oncoming traffic did agree with my assessment as I did get a few drivers blink their brights at me).
I am sure there are settings to be adjusted in some touchscreen menu to address my concerns. With time, I’m sure I would be able to adjust the Tesla model 3 to my tastes, but I only borrowed the car for a few days from a family member. To avoid a family feud I felt it best not to mess with the settings. The same can be said with the range estimates as I never got close to the official 500 km range figure. There are I’m sure, many settings parameters that let you find a sensible balance between range, performance and interior comfort, again with time I am sure I would have found them.
So should you get yourself a Tesla model 3. Perhaps, but I would think carefully before making a 60-80 000 $ investment, there are many fine EV’s out there nowadays, both new and used. Tesla’s user interface is very different, thus it will take some time to get used to it.
Electric car adventures 