Hawaii Tesla Owners

[Papafox]

Akikiki, congrats on scoring a fine car and keeping Tesla happy with us Hawaii buyers!

Nanimac, have you heard the news that 40kwh Tesla S reservation holders will be getting 60Kwh battery cars instead (with a software limit on range, but with full 60kwh performance). Check it out at:
http://www.teslamotors.com/en_AU/about/press/releases/tesla-model-s-sales-exceed-target

Very happy here as I now can see my Model S becoming reality.

 

[spleen]

Congrats, Akikiki!! Where's the pics?? lol

 

[nanimac]

Akikiki, congrats on scoring a fine car and keeping Tesla happy with us Hawaii buyers!

Nanimac, have you heard the news that 40kwh Tesla S reservation holders will be getting 60Kwh battery cars instead (with a software limit on range, but with full 60kwh performance). Check it out at:
http://www.teslamotors.com/en_AU/about/press/releases/tesla-model-s-sales-exceed-target

Very happy here as I now can see my Model S becoming reality.

@papafox..saw the news am now leaning towards keeping my 40kwh res since I'll get a free performance boost and option to upgrade in the future. Am hoping delivery will be sooner too. Will still be following up with Tesla as am still curious about the silver one at the SC. Decisions, decisions...

 

[spleen]

Akikiki, congrats on scoring a fine car and keeping Tesla happy with us Hawaii buyers!

Nanimac, have you heard the news that 40kwh Tesla S reservation holders will be getting 60Kwh battery cars instead (with a software limit on range, but with full 60kwh performance). Check it out at:
http://www.teslamotors.com/en_AU/about/press/releases/tesla-model-s-sales-exceed-target

Very happy here as I now can see my Model S becoming reality.

Wow, that's huge news. Hope it's not just an April Fools thing.

 

[Papafox]

Spleen, I was thinking the same thing, but Tesla's Facebook page has the announcement and I'm told that Twitter has a similar announcement too. If it's a hack, it's an amazing piece of work. On the other hand, the concept makes some sense: keep the customers happy by giving an upgrade path in the future. If Tesla can reliably predict that most customers will ultimately upgrade to the 60kwh range and the supercharger functionality, it's a smart move. People on the mainland have a lot more incentive to go for these upgrades than we do.

 

[ddruz]

@Akikiki - Congratulations!!!!! Absolutely fantastic news. I am delighted for you. That is a beautiful configuration!

@Everyone with a 40 kWh reservation - Hold it! You would be very shortsighted IMO to trade up now to a 60. You are basically being given a totally free option to upgrade at any time in the future if you so desire for the difference in cost you would pay now. Odds are excellent that a 40 will be more than plenty for all islands except perhaps the Big Island. If you find out that is not the case then pay the extra $10,000 and poof! you have a 60.

Note too that you should be able to max range charge your "40" every time without concern about battery degradation because you will have all that reserve overhead in the actual 60 which is in your car. Anyone holding a 40 reservation is one lucky dog. I'd swap from my 60 reservation to a 40 under the new terms in an instant if it were possible.

 

[Akikiki]

Papafox,, thank you. I appreciate the contrats,
Spleen, pic, oh yeah, pics, need to get some of them. All I could think of was get in the seat and go-go-go.
Nanimac, think long and hard about the silver one. Its here, they might negotiate on something you want. never hurts to ask. you can always wait on yours. (I'm just sayin')

I can't speak for TM, but last week a DS there emailed me that my 60 that, was on order, was part of a build of 60's was starting Mid-April, shipping to HI would be end of April. But I sort of jumped to the front of the line, getting one that was already at the SC.

Ddruz, thank you very much. And you make some great points talking about the 60 versus 40 considerations now. Very insightful.

Also did you folks read about the "Easter egg" that TM revealed about 60's? All were built with SuperCharging capability already at the factory. Same with accessing it, you would have to pay for the upgrade to get to use it, but its already there. Probably not useful to us here, even IF, Elon decided to put one in, we might never use it. But the fact that your 60 would have it buried in the car and ready to activate also is an upgrade path. This makes these cars more valuable or resellable. Ya never know, they might wind up on the mainland and then the owner could decide to activate it.

There's also a new thread on the TM forum talking about TM has announced availablity in the summer for a factory Center Console. There's pictures. Storage bin, cover for hiding stuff, cupholders and place for a smartphone. No info on pricing yet, but a lot of speculation about how much TM will price it. Bottom line, no hint to price yet.

 

[Jkam]

Does it make sense to buy a Pre-Paid Anywhere service plan with Ranger service on Oahu?

I'm curious about people's thoughts on this. The plans have just become available and those folks with delivered cars will need to make a decision soon. The rest of us will need to decide soon after taking delivery. Certainly the Anywhere Ranger plans make sense on the outer islands. But I'm wondering about Oahu.

Here is a quote from an email I received Friday from ace Tesla rep, Walter Franck, in response to some questions about the plans:

The 4 year Anywhere plan includes Ranger visits for any reason. The visits may be limited by scheduling and availability, unlimited Ranger visits can be for either warranty issue or non warranty issue. [underline mine]

It is difficult to imagine Hawaii having enough Rangers to make frequent house calls anytime in the foreseeable future. Barry will have his hands full just working out of the Service Center and traveling to the outer islands for emergencies. We could schedule Ranger visits, sure. But if it were weeks before Barry had the time free to come out to Oahu homes we would probably wind up taking our cars to the Service Center for the smaller things anyway just to expedite them. For the bigger things we'd need to get our cars to the Service Center regardless. So I'm wondering about the real life, practical value of the Anywhere plans for Oahu.

What do you think? Has anyone asked Barry his opinion yet? His input would be helpful.

You would have to think that Tesla would hire more staff for Hawaii than just Barry? From reports here, he already is swamped with work. I think Hawaii has enough cars and reservations to support a bigger staff. Has anyone asked Barry if he will be getting some colleagues soon? I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet, but I will eventually because I really want my rear seats installed.

P.S. Congrats to all the people that have gotten their cars recently. I've been seeing more on the road lately.

 

[RodF]

@Akikiki - Congratulations!!!!! Absolutely fantastic news. I am delighted for you. That is a beautiful configuration!

@Everyone with a 40 kWh reservation - Hold it! You would be very shortsighted IMO to trade up now to a 60. You are basically being given a totally free option to upgrade at any time in the future if you so desire for the difference in cost you would pay now. Odds are excellent that a 40 will be more than plenty for all islands except perhaps the Big Island. If you find out that is not the case then pay the extra $10,000 and poof! you have a 60.

Note too that you should be able to max range charge your "40" every time without concern about battery degradation because you will have all that reserve overhead in the actual 60 which is in your car. Anyone holding a 40 reservation is one lucky dog. I'd swap from my 60 reservation to a 40 under the new terms in an instant if it were possible.

Great advice. I just got an email saying that I could upgrade yo 60 now for $10,000, or if I choose to later it would be $11,000. Also as a result of this I will get my car sooner. I don't think I would need the range and am going to stick with my 40.

 

[nanimac]

When I saw Barry on Friday, he said they'll be bringing someone on soon...another former Hawaii resident working on the mainland and looking to come home. Also bringing on a detailer.

You would have to think that Tesla would hire more staff for Hawaii than just Barry? From reports here, he already is swamped with work. I think Hawaii has enough cars and reservations to support a bigger staff. Has anyone asked Barry if he will be getting some colleagues soon? I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet, but I will eventually because I really want my rear seats installed.

P.S. Congrats to all the people that have gotten their cars recently. I've been seeing more on the road lately.

- - - Updated - - -

Great advice. I just got an email saying that I could upgrade yo 60 now for $10,000, or if I choose to later it would be $11,000. Also as a result of this I will get my car sooner. I don't think I would need the range and am going to stick with my 40.

I've decided to keep my 40Kwh, especially since they say delivery will come sooner now

 

[Akikiki]

@JKAM
First to answer your question. Yes, Barry is going to get 5 or 6 more people. Mechanics, porter, detailer, admin type. Yes, he's successfully doing too much for one person. I hope for him that he gets them before he's burned out. He was in there yesterday working past 3 p.m. on my car. On Easter? That's doing what it takes to help TM and the customer.

Here's a thought about the 40 vs 60 issue. ddruz mentions that it might not be a good idea to upgrade now. RodF says it would cost $11,000 later. But there's so many possiblities. Anything could happen. Let's play what if. What if Tesla saw an untapped resource going to waste. They might have a great idea for marketing and PR and good will. Maybe on an anniversary or end of end of quarter, the might over a "special" and let you "buy" your other 20 KW not for $10 or $11K but $ 5K. That would be a decent influx of capital X the number of 40 holders and all they would have to do is enable your software. It easily could be justifiable in the name of an celebration.

Throttling back the 60 to a 40 makes me wonder if our 60's are 85's already throttled back. The car weights the same doesn't it? Hmmmm? What else could be enabled.? A "Sale-bration" also of allowing up to pay for SuperCharging at a discounted rate? hmmm?

 

[808oman]

Thanks all for your help in outlining what we need to do to register with the DMV. Got my safety, tax paid and registration done, so EV plates are on, all since picking up last Thurs.


As long as you take all of the paperwork provided, no issues whatsoever. Just long lines at the DMV. Everything was done in about three hours.

Car is great...just needs a center console so can't wait for that. Also, my paint shield was installed here, so not a perfect install. If you guys have paint shield that is installed here, before you drive off, tie the car outside and check, especially on the inside of the wheel wells for the front shield and rear bumper. Mine were not adhering properly and now that dirt is in there, it won't stick anymore in those areas.

I wish they would have installed at the factory, where it is clean and better quality.

Also missing the carbon fiber spoiler, but not at big a deal on that.

Yet, compared to driving the Leaf, it is no comparison. In fact, I think people look at me funny, seeing the Tesla grin while driving!

 

[Akikiki]

808oman, Did you have to go the (I think this is the name) Vehicle Compliance office? The one where he verifies your VIN is on the car and on the documents.
If it was necessary, where is it, please?. Then pay your excise tax?

Where did you go for your safety inspection? Was it the first MS that they had?

spleen, here's a couple at the SC

 

[ddruz]

@Akikiki - Spectacular!!! Truly breathtaking.

I admit that white (either pearl or regular) is my favorite Model S color. To my eye it shows the beautiful lines of the car better than any other. I also admit that I am not the kind of guy that washes his car as much as he should which is why mine will be silver. None of the Model S colors hides dirt better than silver. But I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the whites.

Well done Akikiki.

 

[spleen]

Thanks all for your help in outlining what we need to do to register with the DMV. Got my safety, tax paid and registration done, so EV plates are on, all since picking up last Thurs.


As long as you take all of the paperwork provided, no issues whatsoever. Just long lines at the DMV. Everything was done in about three hours.

Car is great...just needs a center console so can't wait for that. Also, my paint shield was installed here, so not a perfect install. If you guys have paint shield that is installed here, before you drive off, tie the car outside and check, especially on the inside of the wheel wells for the front shield and rear bumper. Mine were not adhering properly and now that dirt is in there, it won't stick anymore in those areas.

I wish they would have installed at the factory, where it is clean and better quality.

We still have to do all the paperwork so thank you for letting us know that the process is still the same. Our paint armor was installed locally and looked ok but now I'll need to go back and take a look at the areas that you mentioned.

Akikiki - beautiful pics, love the white!

 

[dsmith2189]

There's also a new thread on the TM forum talking about TM has announced availablity in the summer for a factory Center Console. There's pictures. Storage bin, cover for hiding stuff, cupholders and place for a smartphone. No info on pricing yet, but a lot of speculation about how much TM will price it. Bottom line, no hint to price yet.

Darn the timing, I just decided to bite the bullet and get the CCI that softauthor is selling. hopefully the Tesla version will be about the same price so I won't feel so bad.

- - - Updated - - -

808oman, Did you have to go the (I think this is the name) Vehicle Compliance office? The one where he verifies your VIN is on the car and on the documents.
If it was necessary, where is it, please?. Then pay your excise tax?

Where did you go for your safety inspection? Was it the first MS that they had?

spleen, here's a couple at the SC

Akikiki: I haven't heard of anyone else that had to go to the Vehicle Compliance office except me. (It's at the intersection of Kapahulu and Kapiolani Blvd, under H1). For some reason my VIN wasn't in their system and they had to verify that the vehicle was actually what I (the paperwork) said it was. Now that they know what a Tesla Model S is, I think everyone else should be OK. They will tell you at the Sattelite City hall when you try to get your registration if you need to go there.
Vechicle Inspection can be done at the same location as your old ICE car and the tax is paid at the tax office down near resturant row. both should be done before going to the Sattelite City Hall to get your registration.

 

[spleen]

Dsmith - soflauthor's CCI is nicer looking than the official Tesla CCI, IMHO, if that helps any, rofl. Did you see the other CCI that's being sold too? I might have to go for that one simply because it's got 2 cup holders.

 

[Papafox]

Akikiki-
Wow, you must be walking on air. That's a gorgeous Model S. I hadn't had my daily Tesla photo fix this evening and those two photos remind me so much of why I love this vehicle.

 

[Hawaiiskibum]

Congrats to spleen, 808oman and Akikiki on getting their cars! How fantastic! More Tesla grins driving around town. :biggrin:

Akikiki, that's too cool that you were able to jump ahead and get one locally! Absolutely beautiful!

I've been avoiding the forum and the TM site just so that I don't obsess about the wait. Ordered red so I don't think anything earlier than May. Need to drop by the SC so I can get my MS fix. May seems like a long way away.

 

[Akikiki]

ddruz, spleen, papafox, hawaiiskibum, thank you all for the so very nice comments about Tessie. I read your comments this morning and those comments will help me get through the day before I can get back to her. I had picked Black, but White has grown on me quickly. ddruz you are so right about the colors.

No temp tags yet, haven't got my temp insurance card from USAA, so reluctant to drive. Last night after work, I sat in Tessie for 3 hours listening to Slacker, Turnin, and local FM and wishing that XM was working here. Ahhhh, the music is so sweet.

dsmith, thanks for the hint about not going to VCO, I will try that and report back.

Hawaiiskibum, I've got one picture of the dark red 85 that Barry has at the SC. Its been there now a least 1 maybe 2 months. You might be able to be the first to get a "deal" talking to TM. I am sure they are tired of it sitting there. It's beautiful. I am not sure, it might be a Signature. Beige interior I believe. Take a drive by, you might avoid your wait. I will post the pic of the dark red tonite. Might be that nanimac put one in her group back on page 47, I think.