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Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
Maybe they didn't skip H. Could be that H was assigned to Ni'ihau for full island use. Okay, okay, maybe not Ni'ihau, but could be the next batch assigned on Kauai for use after the DMV assigns all twelve the DMV got in 2014. 
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
I agree with you that they don't appear to assign specific letters or sequences of numbers to different islands.
But I believe the take a stack and send them to DMV until used up then another stack. I would guess that depending on some satellite offices being more busy that others, that the stack might be larger or smaller.
In 2013, I bought my first S. In those days we had to do everything. C&C didn't even believe Tesla existed. We had to take our cars to a "Reconstruction office" to validate it existed. A guy came out, looked at it and said, Yup, Tesla, and signed off. Then to the Safety Inspection, DoT, and DMV. I went to the Kaneohe and after convincing the lady my S was not an electric boat trailer, they issued me 1714. Five months later, I sold and bought another S. One of our club members got his tag in Kapolei. So, I drove there. This time my tag was 435. His tag was just a few numbers earlier and was 4 months earlier. So they had not issued but three or four in four months. Funny how mine was higher number five month earlier, huh?
But I believe the take a stack and send them to DMV until used up then another stack. I would guess that depending on some satellite offices being more busy that others, that the stack might be larger or smaller.
In 2013, I bought my first S. In those days we had to do everything. C&C didn't even believe Tesla existed. We had to take our cars to a "Reconstruction office" to validate it existed. A guy came out, looked at it and said, Yup, Tesla, and signed off. Then to the Safety Inspection, DoT, and DMV. I went to the Kaneohe and after convincing the lady my S was not an electric boat trailer, they issued me 1714. Five months later, I sold and bought another S. One of our club members got his tag in Kapolei. So, I drove there. This time my tag was 435. His tag was just a few numbers earlier and was 4 months earlier. So they had not issued but three or four in four months. Funny how mine was higher number five month earlier, huh?
Polly Wog
Member
@nanimac, the reason "I" is skipped is because it can be mistaken for the number "1" too often. It is common when using letters for ID's to skip both "I" and "O" (because "O" can be mistaken for the number "0"). I can't see how "H" can be mistaken for anything, so that is why I'm dumbfounded that it was skipped. Maybe because our state begins with "H"? Who knows?
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
JenniferH
Member
Aloha, I am a new Tesla owner on Big Island still waiting on my plates (took delivery Dec. 24, 2019.) Do the plates go sequentially by letter such that my new plates will likely start with a 'J' also? I don't know how this works but I would be stoked to have a J plate since my name starts with a J.
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
Maybe. We don't know exactly how new car registrations are done when the paperwork actually originates from CA. Yes, you bought the car and it was shipped to Oahu and reshipped to Hawaii. But after the papers here are signed, they go back to CA. And we think the Tesla dept handling registrations takes that paperwork and sends it to a separate company. That company is contracted to submit the registration request and obtain the plate. Then its sent to Tesla CA and Tesla CA sends it to the customer here, usually FedEx.
I know this much from sitting with a store manager a two years ago and discussing it. Parts we don't know is where the separate company sends the paper work to request the registration/plate. Do they send it to one or more DMV offices on Oahu or maybe also B.I. Seeing as how some of the most recent B.I. plates are in the sequence we have on Oahu, its a good guess the request is sent to a DMV office on Oahu. So, I guess yours too will be registered in the state on Oahu, with your B.I. address, then sent back to that company on the mainland, and then passed to Tesla CA to send to you.
We hear owners in other states complain that their registration takes a long time. So to me, that hints that Tesla is doing the same process with other states i.e., using a separate company and mailing registration requests to their state. This might explain why it usually takes a while. Just guessing, but that tag company may be doing them in batches 5-10, maybe 20 at a time. And they may wait until the have a bunch -20 -50 to make a trip to Tesla CA to hand them over before Tesla CA. So it takes a while versus doing them one at a time. There's so much we don't know or have someone that can confirm the current process.
Seven years ago we used to have to navigate the entire process ourselves. It used to take a day running from Safety station, to DoT, to DMV and you had to have an original copy of the bill of lading where the car was shipped. A real pain to get it all done.
I didn't even describe the part where Tesla pays the DoT the tax before the tag company has proof taxes were paid when they request the registration.
Now, see why I said, Maybe? And aren't you sorry you asked
Welcome to the family and the forum.
I know this much from sitting with a store manager a two years ago and discussing it. Parts we don't know is where the separate company sends the paper work to request the registration/plate. Do they send it to one or more DMV offices on Oahu or maybe also B.I. Seeing as how some of the most recent B.I. plates are in the sequence we have on Oahu, its a good guess the request is sent to a DMV office on Oahu. So, I guess yours too will be registered in the state on Oahu, with your B.I. address, then sent back to that company on the mainland, and then passed to Tesla CA to send to you.
We hear owners in other states complain that their registration takes a long time. So to me, that hints that Tesla is doing the same process with other states i.e., using a separate company and mailing registration requests to their state. This might explain why it usually takes a while. Just guessing, but that tag company may be doing them in batches 5-10, maybe 20 at a time. And they may wait until the have a bunch -20 -50 to make a trip to Tesla CA to hand them over before Tesla CA. So it takes a while versus doing them one at a time. There's so much we don't know or have someone that can confirm the current process.
Seven years ago we used to have to navigate the entire process ourselves. It used to take a day running from Safety station, to DoT, to DMV and you had to have an original copy of the bill of lading where the car was shipped. A real pain to get it all done.
I didn't even describe the part where Tesla pays the DoT the tax before the tag company has proof taxes were paid when they request the registration.
Now, see why I said, Maybe? And aren't you sorry you asked
Welcome to the family and the forum.
Polly Wog
Member
One thing that I can add is that each of my last two new Tesla vehicles, one delivered in June of 2018, the other in June of 2019, were registered on Oahu even though they were delivered on Maui. Maui has more Tesla's by far than any other Hawaiian island except Oahu, so I expect that all new Tesla's in Hawaii are currently registered on Oahu first. With all that being said, and with @JenniferH taking delivery in December, she will likely get a "J" plate.
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
AND there's a proposal floating to switch us to a new designed plate. We will like start all over when that occurs. And this design change may be because they expect to run out of 4 character possible plates in a few years.
Polly Wog
Member
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
JenniferH
Member
Overall, delivery went well. I was very thankful to be able to take delivery on my island instead of flying to Oahu (I ordered 2 days before the policy change and Tesla upheld that despite initially trying to make me go to Oahu.) The only real problem was some paint damage on the trunk near the rear emblem that cannot be fixed without wet sanding/buffing which would require the addition of more clearcoat. Tesla sent a 3rd party detail guy out to my home today to try and polish it out but it wouldn't budge. It is about a 12in section of etched in drips, likely from the metal shipping containers dripping on it during ocean travel. I suppose the responsible part would be Young Brothers but I don't know the specifics of liability and it is just more trouble than it is worth to fix at this point. I am disappointed but at least now it is "broken in" and I don't have to dread the first scratch/blemish of my favorite car.
