Hawaii Tesla Owners

[Jkam]

Hmm,

Let's see? Hmmm, Ah, Black on black, 60kw, bigger sound sys, twin chargers. That's about it. Nuthin special 'cept the car itself.

Unless you plan on using the Superchargers Tesla is providing (so far all on North America continent, none in Hawaii) or installing one yourself, you probably don't need the twin chargers.

It seems it will be very rare to be charging at 80A/240V in Hawaii, and it isn't really necessary. On top of that, you have to pay an extra fee to activate the twin chargers on the 60kWh model.

Unless you have some unusual plan, you might save some money if you don't get the twin chargers.

 

[Akikiki]

I addition to what Jkam said, When I went to the Tax office they also wanted to see my MVPA and Final Delivery Configuration sheet with the shipping costs (Tesla Personal Delivery)

then at the Satellite City Hall at Ala Moana tryint to get my registration. they said my VIN wasn't in their system, so even with all the docs that jkam said to bring, I have to wait for the State Inspection office to look at my car. (Not the safety inspection) before they will give me a registration.
And for those who need to get on a military base you can do that with the Temp CA registration, shipping documents and Hawaii Insurance. they will give you a pass, but you will have to repeat at each base you go to.

dsmith: Nice car. (Funny that seems so insufficient in praising your car.)
If you don't mind. The part where you say the State wanted to see the shipping -- were they satisifed with "Tesla Personal Delivery". I mean; did they recognize and accept that, that was Tesla's way of saying "shipping".

 

[ddruz]

Unless you plan on using the Superchargers Tesla is providing (so far all on North America continent, none in Hawaii) or installing one yourself, you probably don't need the twin chargers.

It seems it will be very rare to be charging at 80A/240V in Hawaii, and it isn't really necessary. On top of that, you have to pay an extra fee to activate the twin chargers on the 60kWh model.

Just to clarify, there is no extra fee to activate twin chargers on the 60 kWh cars. There is just the initial cost. There is, however, a fee to build in the supercharging capability on the 60 kWh cars which sometimes was called an activation fee before details were known. It turns out the supercharging hardware is not something standard which can be activated. It actually has to be built in up front and is a paid for option on the 60 kWh cars.

Admittedly charging options can be confusing. This link is very helpful: Tesla Charging | Tesla Motors. Here is a summary:

Single charger - standard equipment, onboard charger converts AC to DC, charges up to 10 kW = 31 miles per hour via a NEMA 14-50 receptacle, charges about 1/3 to 2/3 as fast at public J1772 charging stations.

Twin chargers - $1500 option, two onboard single chargers convert AC to DC, charge up to 20 kW = 62 miles per hour via Tesla's $1200 High Powered Wall Connector or high amperage J1772 public charging stations (none of which exist on Oahu at this time).

Supercharging capability - free for 85 kWh cars, $2000 option for 60 kWh cars, not available for 40 kWh cars, direct DC to DC, charges up to 90 kW = 300 miles per hour via Tesla's supercharging stations on the mainland.

Unless you have some unusual plan, you might save some money if you don't get the twin chargers.

I agree completely. On Oahu it would be an extremely unusual for twin chargers to be necessary. Also, it doesn't make sense for Tesla to install any supercharging stations on Oahu so paying extra for supercharging on a 60 kWh car is a complete waste of money unless the owner plans to move the car to the mainland at some point.

 

[spleen]

Agreed with all of ddruz's points.

As to how long ... doesn't sound like anything in particular that would hold up your configuration (you did get air suspension, correct?) My guess is probably March/April.

 

[nanimac]

Just got a quote from SolarCity for the 15-40 plug install. $450. About what everyone here paid to get an install?

Just got a quote from Solar City for $900 for the plug install. Not sure if it's because i'm parking on the right side of the garage and the electrical panel is on the left side of the garage so they have to run about 35 feet of cable/wire. Curious if any of those who were quoted $450 had shorter cable/circuit lines for the plug.

 

[dsmith2189]

dsmith: Nice car. (Funny that seems so insufficient in praising your car.)
If you don't mind. The part where you say the State wanted to see the shipping -- were they satisifed with "Tesla Personal Delivery". I mean; did they recognize and accept that, that was Tesla's way of saying "shipping".

the shipping costs were not on the Bill of Lading that I was given. I'm not sure if they just got tired of me "begging" them to let me pay my taxes or what. but, Yes they recognized that as the shipping costs.

 

[spleen]

Just got a quote from Solar City for $900 for the plug install. Not sure if it's because i'm parking on the right side of the garage and the electrical panel is on the left side of the garage so they have to run about 35 feet of cable/wire. Curious if any of those who were quoted $450 had shorter cable/circuit lines for the plug.

Yes, my electrical run would have been about 10-15 feet so much shorter.

 

[StephenM]

Just got a quote from Solar City for $900 for the plug install. Not sure if it's because i'm parking on the right side of the garage and the electrical panel is on the left side of the garage so they have to run about 35 feet of cable/wire. Curious if any of those who were quoted $450 had shorter cable/circuit lines for the plug.

Same here. My sub-breaker box is 2-4 feet away from where I need the plug to be. They also determined that they wouldn't have to do any extra work due to "overloading" my system since we don't use much power as it is (avg. 11 KwH/day, line drying clothes, solar water heater and no air conditioner). They were saying that in some older homes that have low max amps and high current draw they have to beef up your system which would probably be even more than your quote.

 

[nanimac]

Same here. My sub-breaker box is 2-4 feet away from where I need the plug to be. They also determined that they wouldn't have to do any extra work due to "overloading" my system since we don't use much power as it is (avg. 11 KwH/day, line drying clothes, solar water heater and no air conditioner). They were saying that in some older homes that have low max amps and high current draw they have to beef up your system which would probably be even more than your quote.

Thanks spleen and Stephenm for the replies our house is fairly new (10 years old) so I think it's just the length of the line that's making it cost more. Our water heaters are on the left side of the garage and my hubby's E350 barely pulls in all the way so was thinking the right side would be better since the Tesla is a little longer...

 

[spleen]

Delivery button showed up on My Tesla (no email) and pushed!

Delivery estimate for February 21 - March 7th. Counting down the weeks! Decided against the front license plate holder - we'll see if we regret the decision later.

 

[Jkam]

Hawaii Service Center Location

Last year we announced plans to open our first Tesla Service center in Hawaii. Our plan was to do so by the end of 2012. We were on track but recently changed direction slightly to allow us to move into a larger location.

The new service location is not only larger, it is also more visible and includes substantially more parking. The increased parking area is extremely valuable as it will facilitate a larger number of Model S deliveries in the coming year.

The new space is centrally located in Waipahu on O'ahu at Bel Air Business Center,
94-480 Akoki Street.

We are sending you this email to let you know our service center opening has been delayed slightly and is now estimated to open at the end of February 2013. When we get closer to finalizing our grand opening details, we will contact you to let you know the exact day and time service will first be available.

We are happy to be bringing Tesla Service to you in the New Year and thank all of our Roadster and Model S owners and reservation holders for your continued support. We are looking forward to delivering more Model S to the roads of Hawaii and providing excellent service to you for years to come.


Just got the email above.

Interesting that Tesla chose a Waipahu address. I would have guessed that it would have been closer to town. In fact someone had mentioned Kaimuki. I would expect the majority of customers for Tesla would be downtown and east side of Oahu. Good for people like Dr Druz on the North Shore. Not so good for guys out in Hawaii Kai. I forget. With the maintenance plan, does ranger service calls come included? If yes, this is all moot.

 

[nanimac]

Last year we announced plans to open our first Tesla Service center in Hawaii. Our plan was to do so by the end of 2012. We were on track but recently changed direction slightly to allow us to move into a larger location.

The new service location is not only larger, it is also more visible and includes substantially more parking. The increased parking area is extremely valuable as it will facilitate a larger number of Model S

The new space is centrally located in Waipahu on O'ahu at Bel Air Business Center,
94-480 Akoki Street.

We are sending you this email to let you know our service center opening has been delayed slightly and is now estimated to open at the end of February 2013. When we get closer to finalizing our grand opening details, we will contact you to let you know the exact day and time service will first be available.

We are happy to be bringing Tesla Service to you in the New Year and thank all of our Roadster and Model S owners and reservation holders for your continued support. We are looking forward to delivering more Model S to the roads of Hawaii and providing excellent service to you for years to come.


Just got the email above.

Interesting that Tesla chose a Waipahu address. I would have guessed that it would have been closer to town. In fact someone had mentioned Kaimuki. I would expect the majority of customers for Tesla would be downtown and east side of Oahu. Good for people like Dr Druz on the North Shore. Not so good for guys out in Hawaii Kai. I forget. With the maintenance plan, does ranger service calls come included? If yes, this is all moot.

Yeah, I was surprised at the Milltown - Waipahu location too. Great for me since i'm in Mililani, but agree that not so great for Townies or East Oahu owners. Am planning on picking my car up from there when it gets here in May/June.

 

[Jkam]

It'll be interesting to see if it is a service center/store or just a service center. I would expect Tesla to open a store in a major mall (Ala Moana, Kahala or Royal Hawaiian), not in Waipahu.

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah, I was surprised at the Milltown - Waipahu location too. Great for me since i'm in Mililani, but agree that not so great for Townies or East Oahu owners. Am planning on picking my car up from there when it gets here in May/June.

It might also be great foresight. If Generation III (the low cost electric car) gets produced, the Waipahu location will probably work real well.

 

[ddruz]

I share in the surprise of the location for the service center. It is still a 50 minute drive for me with traffic. Is it about that long from Hawaii Kai and the windward side as well? Those of you who live in those spots, how long would your drive be?

In thinking about it, however, this is actually an excellent business decision for Tesla, out of the box thinking. Many of us will opt for the ranger service and the area is relatively central for their ranger to originate from with a very good price for rent compared to many other spots on the island. It is close from H1 for test drives at speed. Also, there are a lot of car dealers in that general area and as Jkam notes when Gen III comes along it will blend right in. When they finally get around to a mall store that will go in a much different part of the island so they will have geographic diversification. I'm quite impressed with the foresight. This is an amazing company.

Hope to meet some of you the grand opening, if they have one!

 

[Akikiki]

It'll be interesting to see if it is a service center/store or just a service center. I would expect Tesla to open a store in a major mall (Ala Moana, Kahala or Royal Hawaiian), not in Waipahu.

- - - Updated - - -

It might also be great foresight. If Generation III (the low cost electric car) gets produced, the Waipahu location will probably work real well.

I agree with all the opinions here. And Tesla folks have unique marketing ideas. Maybe we don't see all of their plans...yet? Ya'll know, Waikele is not so far from this Service Center site. A small Waikele store would give them mainland and international visitor exposure considering so many people come their shopping. Lots of local people come to Waikele too. I go to Waikeke every other month or so, but its been years since since I went to Ala Moana Center. Wouldn't people from town or Windward drive to Waikele to see a Tesla?

Would be nice if we grow to another Service Center on the Hawaii Kai end, huh? Whatever their plan, having one here (finally) is a blessing and shows support for us here. I am gratefully they are doing it. And if they read this, Thank You TM. I hope to hear soon that my S is headed this way for Mar or Apr delivery and I too would like to get mine there.

 

[RodF]

Delivery button showed up on My Tesla (no email) and pushed!

Delivery estimate for February 21 - March 7th. Counting down the weeks! Decided against the front license plate holder - we'll see if we regret the decision later.

I'm on the fence about how to handle the license plate. Let me know how it works out for you. Thanks.

 

[StephenM]

Last year we announced plans to open our first Tesla Service center in Hawaii. Our plan was to do so by the end of 2012. We were on track but recently changed direction slightly to allow us to move into a larger location.

The new service location is not only larger, it is also more visible and includes substantially more parking. The increased parking area is extremely valuable as it will facilitate a larger number of Model S deliveries in the coming year.

The new space is centrally located in Waipahu on O'ahu at Bel Air Business Center,
94-480 Akoki Street.

We are sending you this email to let you know our service center opening has been delayed slightly and is now estimated to open at the end of February 2013. When we get closer to finalizing our grand opening details, we will contact you to let you know the exact day and time service will first be available.

We are happy to be bringing Tesla Service to you in the New Year and thank all of our Roadster and Model S owners and reservation holders for your continued support. We are looking forward to delivering more Model S to the roads of Hawaii and providing excellent service to you for years to come.


Just got the email above.

Interesting that Tesla chose a Waipahu address. I would have guessed that it would have been closer to town. In fact someone had mentioned Kaimuki. I would expect the majority of customers for Tesla would be downtown and east side of Oahu. Good for people like Dr Druz on the North Shore. Not so good for guys out in Hawaii Kai. I forget. With the maintenance plan, does ranger service calls come included? If yes, this is all moot.

It's not included unless you get the $2400/4-year "unlimited Ranger visit" option. Otherwise you will pay $100 per visit and $600/year for the annual check-up (or 12k miles, whichever is first).

Long term I suppose you all make valid points about the location of the service center out in Waipahu, but still a bummer for this spoiled Hawaii Kai resident. That's a drive, but so long as I don't have to make the trip too often it shouldn't be a problem anyway.

@Spleen, I got my delivery e-mail today too and opted for the front plate bracket installed (begrudgingly). Same time frame as yours. Most likely will be on the same boat!

 

[spleen]

Well after making that statement, I reviewed the decision with my mother (the primary driver of the car) and she chose to put the front license plate holder on after all because she doesn't want to deal with the hassle of "getting creative" with the front plate for safety checks. Oh well.

I think the choice of location for service center makes sense, given Tesla's tendencies to put the service centers in places with cheaper rent. I was expecting Waipio or Kalihi with an unlikely chance for Kaka'ako (rent surprisingly expensive there). So Waipahu fit in the vein of what I was thinking though would have expected it to be on Farrington itself rather than on a side street for better visibility. I am expecting a store to be placed in a more visible location eventually like others have mentioned in a major mall.

 

[spleen]

@Spleen, I got my delivery e-mail today too and opted for the front plate bracket installed (begrudgingly). Same time frame as yours. Most likely will be on the same boat!

That would be funny if they ended up on the same boat!

 

[nanimac]

Well after making that statement, I reviewed the decision with my mother (the primary driver of the car) and she chose to put the front license plate holder on after all because she doesn't want to deal with the hassle of "getting creative" with the front plate for safety checks. Oh well.

I think the choice of location for service center makes sense, given Tesla's tendencies to put the service centers in places with cheaper rent. I was expecting Waipio or Kalihi with an unlikely chance for Kaka'ako (rent surprisingly expensive there). So Waipahu fit in the vein of what I was thinking though would have expected it to be on Farrington itself rather than on a side street for better visibility. I am expecting a store to be placed in a more visible location eventually like others have mentioned in a major mall.

That area of Waipahu is a newer industrial park called Milltown which is really close to H-1. The park's a lot nicer than any of the older inventory off Farrington and has more of that "mainland" look. Kalihi rents are really high (because it's Town) even though most of the properties are pretty old.

I asked a couple industrial brokers in our office if they heard that Tesla was looking around and they hadn't heard anything. It could be Tesla's strategy to be in Waipahu or them using a mainland broker who doesn't understand the market here.