Virginia purchase specific tips: re tax, trade-in, HPWC install, Clean fuel plate etc

bhzmark said:

I found some Dominion VA info graphically summarized here:

https://www.dom.com/library/domcom/images/graphics/ways-to-save/ev-plus-home-pricing-plan.jpg

https://www.dom.com/library/domcom/images/graphics/ways-to-save/ev-pricing-plan-time.jpg

The EV only plan would raise the price from .11 to .18 year round for charging 6am-10pm. Otherwise it is down to 5 cents 1am to 6am.

The EV + Home would have a similar savings for all elec use 1am -5/6am, and a big rate raise during summer that would get your A/C use 1pm -7pm.

The other changes seem somewhat marginal.

Assuming the household charges don't have a big change (the hit during the summer 1pm-7pm is offset by the savings at other times) then I think the EV+ Home plan is better as it allows more opportunities to charge during the day (e.g., on weekends) at a normal rate instead of at the peak rate 6am-1pm on the EV only plan.

Any other thoughts?

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I chose the EV only plan since my AC bill will kill me in the summer otherwise.

The biggest problem is that I can't tell the car to *not* use power during the day. So pre-heating is much harder to pull off. I have dual chargers and a HPWC so I really never want to draw power during the day.

bhzmark said:

Ryan Electrical Services 301.509.9832 [email protected]

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(I used Sean. He knows what he's doing with the Tesla equipment. I met him at the EV booth at the Science & Engineering Festival, and he came recommended from the Rockville Service Center).

bhzmark said:

* Tesla suggested Alliant Credit Union Here is its application: Alliant Credit Union- application for financing Model S

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I used them as well. Easy transaction.

bhzmark said:

* Any special tricks with getting the clean fuel HOV plate transferred? I have an old style plate that is still good on 395 and 66. But it is really old and dirty. Can VA DMV issue a new one? I've heard that when you ask for a replacement plate they often screw it up and issue the new limited style.

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This process is covered in this thread: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/31654-Virginia-DMV-Excessive-Charges/page2?highlight=plate. I had no trouble getting the plate transferred. I even got a new personalized plate before the car was delivered without any trouble. Finally, I got the plate transferred on the spot when I registered the car. The DMV folks just had to call Richmond and ask for it to be transferred then).

bhzmark said:

* What is the best setup with Dominion Virginia for charging cars? They have a complex rate schedule https://www.dom.com/residential/dominion-virginia-power/customer-service/rates-and-regulation/residential-rate-schedules Has anyone deciphered this and concluded what the best deal for them was?

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I went with the EV only, second meter option. No problems so far.

bhzmark said:

Any other tips from Virginia Tesla purchasers?

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Another tip, I got the EZ-Pass front license plate transponder. That's been great. Also, go meet the guys at speedfreak detailing.

I have a "time of day/peak demand" meter and a peak demand control box. I've had this setup since long before my Tesla. At night I'm paying about 2-3 cents per kW hour. The control panel manages the load/demand so that the high load items don't all kick on at once or run simultaneously.

The special "tax" on non gas vehicles of $65 was rescinded for hybrids only....not Teslas.

I'll put in an unsolicited plug (hah, I amuse myself.....) for Got Electric. Grant is from my 'hood in Gaithersburg, MD and has done several projects in my home. Very easy to deal with, straightforward. Will be giving him a ring when my S85D comes this summer.

EV second meter, love it. If you can't or don't want to shift your whole home consumption this is likely the bester way to go.

Regarding the plates as long as you can get the ones that still work on 66 that is all that really matters because with the new tolling on 95/395 you have to pay or go HOV the plates don't count. The only bit it helps is the segment of 395 from edsall to the Pentagon. But if you had to go all the way to edsall you likely just went and got two other people or you are running during off hours. Seriously if it is on peak hours just go pick up some slugs at your nearest exit and ride the HOV for free and spread the good word about Tesla while you take people to and from the Pentagon! (There are other destinations but the Pentagon is hardly out of the way and it has by far the most sluggers to and from that place.)

Speedfreak is the NOVA detailer of choice. Hands down. Good prices AMAZING work!

Paying sales tax at the DMV sucks but hopefully that will change soon with the service center/store opening in Tyson's. Although when I did my registration the guys apparently have a daily/weekly pool of whole collects the most money from people. I apparently made that guys day when I dropped the 3.4k in sales tax

Have heard good things about Penfed but I have been a NavyFed customer since my first day out of Boot Camp some 10 years ago now, and no one seems to do better than them for me. So if you are military or somehow can get membership, NavyFed is the best! (1.99% on the car for a 5 year loan).

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Oh regardless of the metering, to ensure you can always fill the car within the 5 hour super off peak window I highly recommend dual chargers and an HPWC.

chickensevil said:

Regarding the plates as long as you can get the ones that still work on 66 that is all that really matters because with the new tolling on 95/395 you have to pay or go HOV the plates don't count.

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Oh regardless of the metering, to ensure you can always fill the car within the 5 hour super off peak window I highly recommend dual chargers and an HPWC.

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mbonnie said:

But regarding the plate: on that older thread someone wrote: "I was told the older-style clean fuel plates are no longer made so I would lose the HOV benefits that come with the older style plates if I wanted a personalized clean fuel tag."

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I have the I-66 access plates and I was able to order a new customized plate and transfer it to the Tesla without losing I-66 access. So it's possible, if a bit cumbersome.

+1 on the dual chargers and Wall Connector. Frankly, I love the look of the Wall Connector too, and it's very sturdy. I have a 14-50 in the garage too, just in case.

Finally, paying the taxes at the DMV wasn't so bad because I got to transfer my HOV plate on the spot rather than wait around for a couple weeks, which is what you have to do when purchasing from dealer.

Yes to Penfed
Yes to twin chargers
Don't really see the need for the more costly install and bulky HPWC unless you need a quick turn-around or your commute is more than 120 miles/day (to take advantage of the super off-peak 4 hr. 1-5a window)
Have the whole-house single meter EV plan where we super-cool the house noon-1:00 in the summer (we have an over-sized A/C) and is then re-energized at 7p, run dish-washer (most have a built-in time delay) at 1a, timer on H2O heater to energize 1-5a

Just wanted to share my latest DMV registration, plate switching, experiences, etc.

Picked up the new Model S yesterday in Rockville late in the evening. Xander, my DS, was once again excellent. I believe he'll be in Tysons in the near future. I talked with him about the need to get up to date on how Virginia taxes, particularly property taxes, work, and he indicated that it's a lot of work and folks are trying to learn all about it. I also suggested that the ongoing dispute about how Fairfax county handles the property tax for Tesla's might be ripe for the company to weigh in on.

In any event, I went to the DMV in Tysons this morning. I was fifth or sixth in line. Once inside, there was the usual front desk triage where I explained what I was there for. The intake person quickly looked at my paperwork and then gave me my call number. Despite being one of the first people there, few windows were open so I waited about 10-15 minutes before my number was called.

Once at the window, I explained that I wanted to title and register a new car and transfer my clean fuel plates. The gentlemen waiting on me first pulled up my record, and noticed that the old Model S was still on there, and he updated the record to reflect that it was no longer in my possession. He then noted that the registration for my wife's car had expired. Thus, I paid for the renewal and he gave me some new stickers.

He then turned to the titling of the Model S. He carefully review the required form (VSA 17A), which I had filled-out ahead of time using the fillable form available on the DMV's website. And yes, Tesla does provide a form in the packet they give you, but I wanted to transfer my plates, which means a few adjustments to that form.

He then carefully reviewed the certificate of origin -- I really like this document. Fun colors on it, and a computer signature from Elon as the authorized company representative! He then asked me to check the VIN numbers as well to make sure everything matched. I'm not positive, but I think the VIN is checked against a database to make sure it's valid. In any event, the checking and data entry takes some time. He also had me fill-in a couple of spots on the form that neither I nor Tesla had filled-out. He then had me check the lienholder information in several places as well.

While working on the titling, he handed me a license plate transfer application form to fill-out. He indicated that the Special Registration Office, which handles transfers of Clean Fuel plates, now requires that the branch scan and email the form along with details from the branch. Apparently, the branches used to just call down (that's what happened the last time I did this).

Eventually, the titling was complete. He then moved onto to the bill of sale and the applicable sales taxes. Again, he checked the bill of sale, checked all of the lien holder information again, and then typed in the details of the costs. This spit out the applicable sales tax, which I then paid. A receipt was, of course, provided with a "paid" stamp on it.

He then had me add the title number to my license plate transfer request form. From there, he scanned and emailed it down to the Special Registration Office in Richmond. At that point, he sent me back to the chairs to wait for a response.

About 20 minutes later, he called me over. He explained that he a got confusing response from Special Registration and that he was going to go and call the person that had responded. About five minutes later, he returned with good news -- the plate was transferred, but I needed to pay $2.00 for the process. At that point, who cared!!

I thanked him and left. In the parking lot, I put the plates on. In total, I was in the DMV building for about 1:20 minute. In addition, I waited about 25 minutes outside before it opened.

Soon Tesla will be able to handle registering new vehicle in Virginia since the Tysons Service Center is also a showroom, and Tesla is officially a Virginia car dealer (some of the cars at grand opening had Virginia dealer plates rather than the usual CA plates). The downside for those who want to transfer Clean Fuel plates is that dealers can't do this. Thus, you end up getting a regular plate, which is then replaced after you apply to have the Clean Fuel plate transferred. The request can take a few weeks versus the instant (or near instant) transfer you can get if you register at the DMV.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but I know folks are always looking for the gruesome details.

thank you for this, iAd. I am dreading my trip to the dmv. Expecting S85 delivery in the next couple of weeks.

sorry if I missed it, but how were you able to get personalized tags before taking delivery? Don't you need a title beforehand? Long drive from Rockville to Shenandoah Valley and would love to avoid getting stopped if at all possible.

I guess things have changed since I picked mine up in DC in Dec 2012. I did not have to go to VA DMV at all. The DS had paperwork ready and I got my new Virginia plates in the mail 26 days later. I then ordered my personalized plates online and those came 30 days after that. Never had to go to DMV at all.

cmu5p said:

thank you for this, iAd. I am dreading my trip to the dmv. Expecting S85 delivery in the next couple of weeks.

sorry if I missed it, but how were you able to get personalized tags before taking delivery? Don't you need a title beforehand? Long drive from Rockville to Shenandoah Valley and would love to avoid getting stopped if at all possible.

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I had the personalized tags before buying the car -- I got them for my old car and then transferred them. However, between picking up the car on Wednesday and registering it Thursday morning, I had the DC temp tags that Tesla provides at pickup. Thus, you won't be pulled over on the way home. I think the temp tags are good for 30 days (not sure).

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jthompson said:

I guess things have changed since I picked mine up in DC in Dec 2012. I did not have to go to VA DMV at all. The DS had paperwork ready and I got my new Virginia plates in the mail 26 days later. I then ordered my personalized plates online and those came 30 days after that. Never had to go to DMV at all.

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I expect it will be this way once the Tyson's Service Center starts handling deliveries.

bhzmark said:

2015 Model S isn't on the VA clean fuel plates. Instead the not yet released 2015 Roadster is.
Anyone have a problem? Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles


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I had no trouble getting my clean fuel plates (I-66 access series) transferred to my 2015 Model S. I wouldn't sweat it.

bhzmark said:

2015 Model S isn't on the VA clean fuel plates. Instead the not yet released 2015 Roadster is.

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This has nothing to do with a 2015 Tesla Roadster (there is no such thing, and there won't be). It is simply the carry-over of the Roadster which has been on the list since 2008.

Curt, just saw your signature (pun intended) congrats on 55!!

Model S wasn't on there in 2013 when I got mine either, but I had no trouble getting the clean special-fuel plates.