Suggestions for 3 day road trip

Erik, how did you arrange to "get a Model S from Tesla"?
Where will you be located when you get your S?
I recommend Hwy 1 south of Monterey.
If you like wine then of course the Napa Valley is a must. Just keep in mind that drinking and driving is not a good idea.

500 miles isn't very much since California is a very large State. You can't go to LA for example. I would recommend this as your trip from Burlingame, if you want a vacation for 3 days that most tourists don't do (so there won't be crowds):

http://www.mendocino.com/

... and stay here, where there are awesome ocean-view rooms and HPWCs to charge:

Mendocino Cottages Bed and Breakfast | Mendocino Lodging | Sea Rock Inn

- K

There's a ton of stuff to see both north and south of Fremont. What I wouldn't do is drive inland. Depends on what your interests are. I would certainly recommend the greater Monterey area, but I'm biased because I live here.

Yep, Erik, 500 miles and three days are pretty restrictive for a state as large and varied as California. I am biased about where I live (inland!) Late February to early March is prime bloom time for all our stonefruit orchards in the Central Valley. When the trees are in full bloom, (in my opinion) they are a sight to behold with their delicate white to pink petals marked against the stark contrast of the dark twigs and branches of the trees. Not sure if you have this sort of experience in your country.

In addition, if we get snow "in the higher elevations," the Sierra Nevada in winter are truly majestic. You can take the freeway (Interstate 80) in one direction, and take secondary highways in the other direction to drive at a more leisurely pace and see lots more. Just be sure to check road conditions and know how to drive on snow and ice, if the weather is dicey.

Congratulations on your prize, and you will not be disappointed with any decision you make. They are all winners!

If you like nature, Fremont to Yosemite National Park is 300 miles round trip. Or Fremont to Napa to Yosemite to Fremont is 380.

Granted, this would be pushing it from a mileage perspective (and maybe even content-wise too), but going from Fremont to the Pebble Beach area, then down Highway 1 to San Simeon/San Luis Obispo (which would take you through Big Sur), and then back up 101 to Fremont would be ~400 miles. The views along Highway 1 are great between Pebble Beach and San Simeon, San Simeon has Hearst Castle to check out (if that's something you're into), and then both San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles have some pretty good wineries to check out as well. That route is supported by Superchargers, and you'd probably only have to stop at the Seaside one and Atascadero (maybe Gilroy too).

Google

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You can easily spend three days in Napa. My suggestion is not to try and do too much. Especially with only three days. Pick one area and enjoy it. Most Europeans tend to travel too much and end up spending too much time on the roadways and miss the things they are passing by.

What days of the week are you going to be in Big Sur? I just drove through there on a Saturday evening and the return traffic to Monterey/Carmel was backed up for miles. Since most of Big Sur traffic seems to be day trips, my friend who lives on 1 just south of Carmel confirmed the weekend evening traffic backup is a regular thing. if you can time it to drive back to Monterey early in the day or on a weekday evening you will have a lot more fun.