Relocation To Houston

[Lightmatrix]

Hello All,

Looking at a relocation to Houston from Las Vegas. I have a few questions.

1. Is there a large charging infrastructure? Such as at the larger malls, parking garages, etc...
2. Are there many Superchargers in Houston?
3. How is charging during travel to Dallas, San Antonio, Ft. Worth, and Austin? Anyone go to Marfa?
4. What are electric rates like there? We have an 8kw solar system here, do any of you have solar, is it competitive?
5. Are there any tax or DMV benefits to having a Tesla there?
6. Registration here in Clark County NV is about $1250 for my S85, how is it in Houston?


Thanks all!

 

[GasKilla]

PlugShare Will answer all of your questions about charging infrastructure

 

[jlucero]

i live in dallas and have family in houston...we go back and forth alot. superchargers between dallas and houston are in Woodlands, Huntsville, and Corsicana. the galleria has 15-40 charger in the parking garage. each city like austin, SA all have chargers on the outskirts of the city. google search the supercharge map.

 

[Lightmatrix]

Cool thanks all. Now I just need to know the answers to 4, 5, and 6!

 

[TexasEV]

5. No. This is Texas.
6. I don't recall exactly but yearly car registration is well under $100 in Texas.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Electric rates can vary depending on which electric provider you choose. In general you can find rates between 6.5¢ and 14¢ per kWh depending on the length of your agreement and other items. There are very few time-of-use plans in Texas, but TXU Energy offers one that works very well with electric vehicles. You pay about 14¢/kWh from 6AM-9PM, but 9PM-6AM is free. Go to powertochoose.org for a good comparison of available plans in Texas from all providers, but be aware that some providers have plans that aren't listed there. I'm on the TXU Energy Free Nights plan that I described above, but to see it's specs you need to go to the TXU Energy web site because it's not listed on powertochoose.org.

Also be aware that because the electricity market in Texas is deregulated, the advertised prices per kWh are for the generation charge only. There is also a delivery charge of around 3-4¢ per kWh that is on top of the generation charge price, you need to look at the facts sheet to see that rate. Some plans also have flat monthly fees on top of the generation and delivery charges, and on many plans the generation charge rate varies depending on how many kWh per month you use.

Because generation power is so inexpensive in Texas compared to other places like California, solar is not big here because the ROI doesn't work.

There are no incentives at all in Texas for EVs, with one exception. All vehicles must have an annual state inspection which includes emissions testing. This is usually $39.75 for ICE vehicles, but EVs don't need the emissions portion of the inspection, they only need the safety portion, so the total cost is only $14.50.

Registration is $50.75 plus taxes, fees, and if you need them, Texas license plate costs. Total will be around $100. You need to be insured in Texas and have the inspection done before you can go register the vehicle. On your insurance, Texas minimum requirements are $30K bodily injury per person, $60K bodily injury per accident, and $25K property damage per accident. However, I highly recommend much higher values because there are some bad drivers around here, and also recommend comprehensive and collision coverage.

If you need NEMA 14-50 or Wall Connector installation in Houston, I highly recommend Chams Electric (this electrician is also one of the ones recommended by Tesla). He's installed for just about every Tesla owner in Houston.

 

[Lightmatrix]

Thanks all for great info!