Hawaii Tesla Owners

[spleen]

Have your parents not yet signed their paperwork or is Telsa letting them make these changes to their contract each time they change their mind?

Not finalized yet. Expecting finalize email to show up in the next 1-2 wks though, given the current pace.

[Jkam]

I’ve been asked by a couple of people what the registration process is in Hawaii. I just finished registering my car so here it is.

Prior to the delivery of the car, Tesla via email sent me a final sales contract. They use a service called Docu Sign to electronically initial and sign the contract. Also, Tesla asked me to wire the balance of the payment. I did this before the car was delivered.

I had a Delivery Specialist pick up the car from the dock and deliver it to my house. At that time the DS did the walk through and showed us the features of the car. He also gave me the Proof of Delivery/Shipping Invoice. It looks like a simple tag, but it is important to have. You need it to register your car.

Tesla sent by Fedex a temporary registration one day after my car was delivered. You put this temporary registration in the rear window so that you can drive the car while waiting for all the final paperwork to get the official registration. Tesla did not provide any temporary plates so I drove without any.

After delivery of the car Tesla mailed me a packet of papers including the following
1) Certificate of Origin
2) Application for Registration
3) Motor Vehicle Use Tax Certification
4) Bill of Sale.
Once I got this packet I could get my registration.

Despite Tesla’s instructions to take those documents and go to the Hawaii DMV, you need two more documents before you can go to the DMV: a tax clearance and a temporary safety inspection.

So first you need to go to the Hawaii State Taxation Department. You’ll need all four documents Tesla sent in the packet plus a check to pay for the sales tax on the car. The Hawaii State Taxation Department will then give you a tax clearance.

You’ll also need a temporary safety inspection. So head to a gas station or car repair shop. It cost me $15 to get it. You’ll get a blue safety inspection slip.

To finally register the car at the DMV you’ll need the following:
Tax Clearance
Blue Safety Inspection Slip
Proof of Delivery/Shipping Invoice
Certificate of Origin
Application for Registration
Motor Vehicle Use tax Certification

Take all that plus another check (paid another $400 or so for registration based on the car’s weight) to the DMV. I went to the satellite city hall in Ala Moana. They’ll issue you plates.

Once you get the plates and install them on your car, you can go back to get your final safety inspection. The law requires both the front and back plates to be mounted on the car in order to get the final safety inspection. You will have to use some creativity if you choose to run without the front license plate.

Hope that answers people's questions.

[spleen]

Thanks Jkam for that detailed write up. Hopefully once the service center opens, it'll smooth this process out a little.

[UMD86]

I've been driving my car for a little over two weeks. Lately I've been driving like an old granny because I'm challenging myself to be as efficient a driver as I can be (I actually drove to work using an average of 290kw/mile today which is a record for me). As I'm driving in old granny mode, I sometimes ask myself if it was worth it to get the performance model...that lasts about ten seconds and I forget about it. It certainly isn't needed, but it sure is fun to have the performance model. I don't regret at all getting it. As you know the on ramps on Oahu are ridiculously short and you have to sometimes fit into tight spaces. When I blast off my son does a countdown 3..2..1. It is really cute. Anyway sometimes I startle other drivers, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but I get to places that I couldn't have dreamt of before. I only wish there was someplace legal I could drive over 80mph.

I know the feeling but I'm sure there's a stretch on H3 that you can open it up and feel the wind in your hair! I know HPD has been cracking down on speeders. I guess they need the revenue.

- - - Updated - - -

So my parents have changed their mind and the config has changed again (sigh). We're back to the silver 60 kWh model again (my dad has decided to hang onto his car and have my mother drive the Model S so apparently now no need for the level of performance that the 85 kWh perf would have given). Interior leather has changed to black to match the interior a little better and we're also back with the lacewood. Still sticking with the pano roof though. I'm going to get whiplash from all these changes.

Hang in there Spleen. Once you hit the BUTTON it will all be over.

[ddruz]

Big Mahalo Jkam for the superb information! Thanks for taking the time. A huge help for everyone.

[spleen]

Well speak of the devil. Email received to finalize today. Configuration locked in with 60 kWh battery. Expected delivery in February - March 2013, according to the paperwork.

Thanks for all the help and support folks!!

[ddruz]

Well speak of the devil. Email received to finalize today. Configuration locked in with 60 kWh battery. Expected delivery in February - March 2013, according to the paperwork.

Thanks for all the help and support folks!!

Spleen, what was their final configuration?

[spleen]

Spleen, what was their final configuration?

60 kWh battery
No supercharging
Silver with black leather interior
Lacewood accents
19 inch silver wheels
Panoramic roof (my mom made me promise that I would take it to get the roof heavily tinted if it was too hot or too sunny in the car, lol)
Tech package
Air suspension
Sound upgrade
Child seats
Paint armor

Pleasantly surprised by the February/March quote for delivery. Warned the folks that the 60 kWh battery car production hadn't even started yet so given our sequence number, it might be June/July before they got the car but we'll see if we get the ready for delivery notice in March (more realistic, I think).

[ddruz]

Wow, what a sharp configuration. Seriously top end. But no parcel shelf? They will be just fine with the pano roof, no worries.

[nanimac]

Spleen, sent you a message but forgot to mention that I didn't cover the doors and had more of my back bumper covered. Headlights weren't covered either.