Hi I was wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to supercharge an out of state used car I am purchasing after I pick it up on my way home? I am purchasing it from a dealership if that makes a difference. Would it just charge it to the seller's account? If so, I could just offer to pay them the cost.
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Supercharging on way home from buying Tesla out of state
- Thread starter Nealp97
- Start date
RedModel3
Member
The seller, if smart, probably already removed the car from his/her account, so there will be no card on file with which to pay for supercharging. You probably need to contact Tesla to get your account set up before you leave, otherwise you won't be able to use the supercharging network. Is there a Tesla service center close to where you are buying the car? If you haven't already set up an account, then go to the nearest service center after you have your car.
Jim R
Member
TX_M3P+
Member
I just bought a used tesla and it took several weeks to get the registration paperwork. Tesla will not add the car/VIN to your account until you can show that the car is registered to you. Without the car added to your account I'm not sure of an alternate way to supercharge the car.
EnrgyNDpndnce
Member
Which car are you buying and how far is the return trip? You may be able to do some hypermiling and/or use L2 chargers to make the trip home until you get your Tesla account activated. Could also try calling Tesla in advance to ask for their advice and help.
TX_M3P+
Member
Yeah, a long road trip without the ability to supercharge is not ideal. Shipping the car to you would probably be the easier option.
Long time reader on the forums, and just joined today to ask this very same question, then saw it was already just recently asked. I also sent a question to Tesla support asking for their help on this. I had been looking at vehicles up to 1000 miles away with the intent of completing a purchase and driving it back, but without the ability to supercharge that would not be practical.
TX_M3P+
Member
It's not how long it takes Tesla to add the car to the account, it's how long it takes to get the required paperwork for Tesla to add the car to the account. You first need to have official state registration paperwork that shows the car is registered in your name. I don't know what the standard time frame is for the dealerships to get this paperwork started, nor do I know how long it takes for it to all be completed. For me, I didn't have anything Tesla would accept until several weeks after I purchased the car. I tried sending them multiple sales forms and other things that showed I purchased the car, but they would only accept the state issued registration. This was my experience, but maybe someone else got away with using some other form of documentation to make it happen sooner. Once I submitted the required documents, it only took 24 hours for the car to be associated to my account.
TX_M3P+
Member
I had the exact same plan when I was looking to buy mine too, but this was all right at the time the covid-19 stuff was kicking in, so I ended up buying from a dealership that delivered so that I wouldn't have to fly anywhere. Glad I did because my plan was to drive it back home using the superchargers. It would have been a disaster without the ability to supercharge!
Blucenturion
Member
How was buying it without seeing it in person? I’d like to think I could pull the trigger, but this would be a pretty big purchase to make sight unseen.
Really? I plan to use superchargers on the rare occasions when not charging at my house. I don’t see myself throwing $450 just in case I might need it. How useful is the adapter?
RedModel3
Member
The adapter allows you to use other types and brands of L2 chargers - I'm not sure about the new fast chargers. The problem is that if you do plan to drive across the country after buying a used Tesla, you'd be limited to non-Tesla networks, most of which are a lot slower. Perhaps try asked the seller to throw in a CHAdeMO adapter for free. Yeah, I don't see why it should cost $450.
IMHO, this is the biggest reason that Tesla needs to open up its supercharger network to other cars. There needs to be an option at the charger to enter a credit card, or perhaps something could be implemented in the app to purchase supercharging with another card and VIN.
Anybody got any ideas? This is going to be a growing problem as more used Teslas hit the road.
TX_M3P+
Member
Tesla has been selling cars since 2012, so used Teslas have been a thing since 2013. If they haven't solved the problem by now, it's probably not something they are going to solve at all. If you want to buy a used Tesla you will either have to by the L2 adapter and be prepared to stop for a longer duration to charge or you can buy from a dealership that delivers, like VROOM or Carvanna. Once you get the car, you should have your home charging setup ready to go so that you won't need supercharging for local driving. I would opt for home delivery and put the $450 (for the L2 adapter) towards having the Tesla Wall Charger installed.
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