Tesla in Hawai'i

[T34ME]

Just got back from a vacation in Hawai'i. While in Honolulu, we stopped by the Tesla store in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. They had a MS on the floor in red. My wife is not a lover of red cars but she said the MS looked absolutely delicious! Tesla has a new, larger store under construction in Waikiki which should be completed in about three months.

I told the sales staff I had a Model 3 under reservation. They were hungry for information. They said that they know absolutely nothing about the TM3 and they are getting constant questions about it from local residents. They were hoping maybe a reservation holder had some "inside information." I told them I really couldn't help other than to refer them to this chat list....for better or worse.

I asked about Superchargers in Hawai'i and they said there are no plans for Superchargers there. They said that with the small distances involved in the islands, Superchargers aren't justified. They said they do have 6 charging stations in the islands that will give a half charge in about 45 minutes but these are rarely used. They said most of their customers charge at home overnight and this gives them more than enough range during the day. They said that sales were going very well but they said they expected things to really break loose once the TM3 hits the store floor.

 

[Red Sage]

They said that sales were going very well but they said they expected things to really break loose once the TM3 hits the store floor.

I've only been to Hawaii once, way too long ago. It recently occurred to me that the Chevrolet BOLT is going to be an awesome rental car to have there. When I went, I had a Geo Metro rental and that little thing was more than enough to get around with ease. I fully expect that there are going to be plenty of Model ☰ in and around Oahu for many years to come. It seems the television show 'Hawaii Five-0' is sponsored by Chevrolet... I wonder which of the cast members is going to get a BOLT next season...

 

[B8BB8B]

I'm on Oahu right now and there are so many Leafs and i5's (?)
We came here to see if we could live here - with that being said a Tesla would be perfect here. 4 hours to drive around the island and with a big battery it would be a breeze.

 

[N5329K]

My daughter is a freshman at the University of Hawaii, and, since she designed an EV conversion and fund raised to carry it out, she figured she'd try to get hired on as a product specialist at the Tesla store at Ala Moana.
I guess she was a little too young (just 18) and it didn't happen.
She's managing a tropical nursery on weekends instead.
Robin

 

[tashtibet]

zero emission cars will make that place paradise to breathe safely.

 

[Jamaicaman]

To live on Hawaii AND drive a Tesla? Could things get any better? One can dream!

 

[ecarfan]

I told the sales staff I had a Model 3 under reservation. They were hungry for information. They said that they know absolutely nothing about the TM3 and they are getting constant questions about it from local residents. They were hoping maybe a reservation holder had some "inside information.

I can hardly believe a Tesla showroom employee could make such a statement. The public, including reservation holders, only know what Elon announced at their Model 3 reveal. Inside Tesla, only people who are part of the Model 3 design and development team, and Tesla upper management, know more details about the car and they aren't talking.

I asked about Superchargers in Hawai'i and they said there are no plans for Superchargers there. They said that with the small distances involved in the islands, Superchargers aren't justified. They said they do have 6 charging stations in the islands that will give a half charge in about 45 minutes but these are rarely used.

Clear Superchargers are not needed on any of the Hawaiian islands. It's only 225 miles to circumnavigate the big island of Hawaii and speeds are low.

I do not understand this statement: "6 charging stations in the islands that will give a half charge in about 45 minutes but these are rarely used." That is not possible. A Tesla HPWC at 80A charges at a rate of about 58 miles of range per hour, so that would be 40 miles of range in 45 minutes. Are there some CHAdeMO chargers on Oahu?

 

[ElectricTundra]

Are there some CHAdeMO chargers on Oahu?

Likely. There're about 30 CHAdeMO's on Maui.

 

[T34ME]

To live on Hawaii AND drive a Tesla? Could things get any better? One can dream!

What could be better?, a Tesla convertible in Hawai'i!

 

[Snerruc]

Only 2 on the big island at the HELCO offices. There is one wall charger at the Hilton. There is not a lot of need for them with a Tesla. Usually don't even see Leafs at the level 2s.

 

[ElectricTundra]

Only 2 on the big island at the HELCO offices. There is one wall charger at the Hilton. There is not a lot of need for them with a Tesla. Usually don't even see Leafs at the level 2s.

Why such a big difference between Maui & Hawaii I wonder?

 

[mako7c4]

On vacation on kauai and saw a model S.

 

[T34ME]

I saw about half a dozen total on the road on the Big Island, Maui, and Oahu, all Model S. I didn't see any Model X anywhere, not even in the Honolulu store.

 

[Snerruc]

I saw about half a dozen total on the road on the Big Island, Maui, and Oahu, all Model S. I didn't see any Model X anywhere, not even in the Honolulu store.

There are hundreds of MS in in Hawaii. I think the count on Ohau is over 400. At least 2 dozen on the Big Island. I saw a white X in Lahina about 2 months after they went on sale. There are lots of X's here. Check the Hawaii TMC as lots of ow

Why such a big difference between Maui & Hawaii I wonder?

I just checked plugshare and there are only 2 CHAdeMO listed on Maui. One in Lahina and one at the civic center. I think someone can't tell level 2 chargers from dc.

 

[Weezer Fan]

I visit Maui regularly and have noticed more and more solar panels each time I visit. Gasoline is very expensive there, as you can imagine. Solar makes complete sense in Hawaii where almost all resources are shipped to the island. Maui built wind turbines in the close to Maalea several years ago. I can see the islands becoming 100% electric vehicles in the future.

 

[ElectricTundra]

I just checked plugshare and there are only 2 CHAdeMO listed on Maui. One in Lahina and one at the civic center. I think someone can't tell level 2 chargers from dc.

And Pi'ilani Shopping Center, Ocean center in Maalaea, Queen Ka`ahumanu Center, Kulamalu Town Center, and a few more?

 

[nanimac]

There are over 500 Teslas on Oahu and probably another 100+ on the neighbor islands. Range wise, we don't need a lot and that's why there are at least 10 of the rare 40kwhs here. As for Superchargers...the issue is not distance but the fact that some of the older and newer high rise condos do not have the infrastructure for an individual owner to charge or even for an EV charger. This issue is prevalent in HK too. There are a lot of potential owners in those condos! The only saving grace here on Oahu is that there are a lot of public EV chargers as there is a law that every parking lot open to the public with over 100 stalls must have an EV charger...of course those are always leaf'd or even ice'd!

 

[Akikiki]

I can hardly believe a Tesla showroom employee could make such a statement. The public, including reservation holders, only know what Elon announced at their Model 3 reveal. Inside Tesla, only people who are part of the Model 3 design and development team, and Tesla upper management, know more details about the car and they aren't talking.
Clear Superchargers are not needed on any of the Hawaiian islands. It's only 225 miles to circumnavigate the big island of Hawaii and speeds are low.

I do not understand this statement: "6 charging stations in the islands that will give a half charge in about 45 minutes but these are rarely used." That is not possible. A Tesla HPWC at 80A charges at a rate of about 58 miles of range per hour, so that would be 40 miles of range in 45 minutes. Are there some CHAdeMO chargers on Oahu?

ecarfan, I agree with you reference the Tesla sales people asking M3 reservations holders about info. Does not make sense.
As for the 6 charging stations. We don't know which 6 this person would be talking about. The local utility comp, HECO has been installing some pay as you go DC charging stations around Oahu. That could be the 6 they are referring to. But those are not the only chargers. There are also many level 1 & 2's.

As for Superchargers. Just because we don't go from one large city/state to another does not mean we don't need superchargers. Just like Hong Kong, Tesla has acknowledged that Oahu has high rise residents that bought EVs/Teslas and need Superchargers help in charging. Midtown Honolulu has many high rise towers. Most were built years ago when no one was considering EV charging infrastructure. Among the 430+ Model S and X owners on Oahu, a good many live in these high rises. They can not charge at home because their parking structures can't support EV charging. So they do need to charge at public chargers. But at public chargers they are competing with i3's, Leaf and Focus owners for the same resources. The Supercharger team has assured us we will get Superchargers, they just can't tell us when.

 

[Red Sage]

Never forget that the real estate cost in Hawaii also greatly affects how Tesla will be able to roll out Superchargers. I would recommend they'd be installed at the gazillion ABC Store locations (well, 41 on Oahu), but those don't seem to have their own parking lots most of the time. Hmmm... Lahaina Center looks pretty good though. Decent sized parking lot, and a huge parking structure too!

 

[ElectricTundra]

Long term I don't think Superchargers are the answer in Hawaii. They'd be installed as a stopgap until antiquated and obstinate condo associations get their act together. One of the great benefits of a BEV is never having to go anywhere to fuel and waking up every day with a full tank. Condo's need to install charging for their owners and guests. Likewise hotels need to do the same as rental fleets switch over to BEV's.

On a related note, I think that many beach vacation areas need to think about providing ways for their guests to get around without cars. When we're in Kāʻanapali our most frequent trip is 3 miles to Lāhainā and then 3 miles back. We add to congestion in Lāhainā on streets and parking. With a good path we can all walk or ride bikes or e-bikes instead. More enjoyable, less expensive, less traffic in Lāhainā, less parking needed in Lāhainā, and I won't have to work to loose the weight I gain from too many Cheeseburgers In Paradise (along with the IPA that always magically appears).

Marco Island FL is like 4 miles by 4 miles. Nearly every residence is within 2 or 3 miles of every restaurant, grocery, and trinket store. Yet almost everybody drives everywhere even if it's just 1 mile to dinner and 1 mile back. Probably 90% of the traffic could easily be replaced by bicycling. That'd make for a much more enjoyable place. During Jan & Feb many of us do ride but when the weekly people hit they don't think about it and instead clog up the roads and parking lots with rental cars (Mustangs and Corvettes the overwhelming favorites).