PENDING HAWAII MODEL S PURCHASE

[LN1_Casey]

Welp, I'm in the military, and I got orders to get stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I have been saving for my Tesla Model S P100DL for about a year now, and alas, I'm getting stationed in an area where I have a much, much more limited pool to purchase from. At least, my current brief search has led me to believe.

So, Hawaii personnel, what can I expect with buying, owning, and driving with a Model S there? I should be arriving around October.

 

[Akikiki]

Well, since we don't have Superchargers (yet), and don't know when. The other public choices for charging are competing with Leafs, Fords, other stuff, you might want to concentrate your efforts towards finding housing that has 14-50 or 14-30 EV charging or will let you install one. That's your #1 concern.

And there's more than 2,000 Teslas on Oahu alone. (A lot more and more every month.)

AH! You think you are poor now? Wait until you are paying for a Tesla !

And welcome to Hawaii. Its a beautiful place to live.

 

[LN1_Casey]

AH! You think you are poor now? Wait until you are paying for a Tesla !

Haha, and this will be after I've saved a hefty down deposit. These babies are pricey.

Good advice for the searching. A lot of agencies I've noticed don't mention the parking situation clearly. "Has garage" apparently means, "covered parking" and not actually a garage form what I've seen so far.

 

[Hawnboy]

My daughter and son-in-law had off base (PH) housing @ Halsey Terrace. A 2BR/ 1 1/2 B townhouse car with single an enclosed 1 car garage. I believe that the washer/dryer unit was in the garage. The 240v outlet may work for you if you get H.T.

Good luck, and welcome to Hawaii.

 

[gmtom1]

Many single family homes on Oahu, especially older "Plantation style" homes have garages which are really a carport - basically, just a roof over your car which may not even have (solid) walls on all sides. If you're lucky, it has an overhead light. As mentioned above, many homes with enclosed garages also have their washer/dryer in the garage, which can be a blessing if the washer ever backs up, but also means you have access to a 240V (typically 30A) dryer outlet available. Tesla has adapters available online to fit the the new and old style dryer plugs you're likely to encounter.

Another thing to look for is that many older homes have only 100A residential service from Hawaiian Electric, which may not provide enough capacity if you decide to add a Tesla HPWC or even just a dedicated 240V/40A plug in the garage. There's a process to to a "service upgrade" with Hawaiian Electric, but if the house is in a neighborhood with underground electricity lines, it's going to be $$ and a lot of work to dig up and replace the service line.

 

[Hawnboy]

Many single family homes on Oahu, especially older "Plantation style" homes have garages which are really a carport - basically, just a roof over your car which may not even have (solid) walls on all sides. If you're lucky, it has an overhead light. As mentioned above, many homes with enclosed garages also have their washer/dryer in the garage, which can be a blessing if the washer ever backs up, but also means you have access to a 240V (typically 30A) dryer outlet available. Tesla has adapters available online to fit the the new and old style dryer plugs you're likely to encounter.

Another thing to look for is that many older homes have only 100A residential service from Hawaiian Electric, which may not provide enough capacity if you decide to add a Tesla HPWC or even just a dedicated 240V/40A plug in the garage. There's a process to to a "service upgrade" with Hawaiian Electric, but if the house is in a neighborhood with underground electricity lines, it's going to be $$ and a lot of work to dig up and replace the service line.

Yup...I'm one of those home owners living in an older neighborhood with a 100 amp service from HECO. For my current electrical needs and status it's enough for me to power my 2850 sqft house. I charge my M3 overnight using a 6-20 adapter connected to the UMC. Get my up and running for the next day. So at this point in time, there are no plans to upgrade the service panel. At lease for now.

 

[LN1_Casey]

Follow up question about my future purchase;

Does the electric car have to have electric vehicle plates? If so, can we customize them, or are the sequential only? Can we get custom plates, and if so, does it negate the carpool ability of the vehicles?

 

[Casper702]

I'm not sure about being able to customize the plates, but I believe most if not all EV benefits expire soon. So being able to use the carpool lane won't be allowed anymore

 

[LN1_Casey]

I'm not sure about being able to customize the plates, but I believe most if not all EV benefits expire soon. So being able to use the carpool lane won't be allowed anymore

Man, missed it by thaaaat much.

But if this is the case, then there would be no real incentive to maintain an EV plate. I could get a custom one, if they allow it.

 

[Akikiki]

Government You can read about registration and plates here.

We lose all our EV benefits, that made it more attractive to own, effective 30 Jun 2020.

 

[nanimac]

There will probably be a lot more vanity plates on EVs now that EV benefits are expiring. Will be awhile though. I ordered one in November and am still waiting!

 

[LN1_Casey]

There will probably be a lot more vanity plates on EVs now that EV benefits are expiring. Will be awhile though. I ordered one in November and am still waiting!

Wow, really? perhaps I should order mine now and by the time next year rolls around it’ll finally be in!

 

[Akikiki]

You can't just order it and put it in a drawer. It has to be used. So, you have to transfer it to your vehicle here and use it.

 

[LN1_Casey]

You can't just order it and put it in a drawer. It has to be used. So, you have to transfer it to your vehicle here and use it.

Well, I'll be arriving in October, so by the time it comes in I'll transfer it to my vehicle.

 

[I_am_n8]

Government You can read about registration and plates here.

We lose all our EV benefits, that made it more attractive to own, effective 30 Jun 2020.

Do you have a specific link saying that we're losing all of the benefits? The link that you posted is just for the city and county page.

 

[Akikiki]

Its the date in the law that granted us the EV benefits. 30 June 2020.

That link was to help with vehicle registration not EV benefits.

 

[nanimac]

Do you have a specific link saying that we're losing all of the benefits? The link that you posted is just for the city and county page.

EV Benefits will expire: Act 168 provided for free EV parking at state and county facilities (including at Hawaii airports) and metered parking, as well as exemptions from HOV lanes through June 30, 2020. Unfortunately, bills introduced which proposed extending the the sunset date did not pass this session so EV owners will be losing these benefits.

 

[nanimac]

EV Benefits will expire: Act 168 provided for free EV parking at state and county facilities (including at Hawaii airports) and metered parking, as well as exemptions from HOV lanes through June 30, 2020. Unfortunately, bills introduced which proposed extending the the sunset date did not pass this session so EV owners will be losing these benefits.

UPDATE: HOV lane exemption may be extended through September 2025 as part of Federal Highways program.

 

[LN1_Casey]

Should I buy the FSD with the initial car purchase, or purchase it later to avoid that gaining the 4.25% tax of the car purchase?

 

[Akikiki]

You're going to pay the tax either way.