Question: Lately I noticed that nearly every Tesla I see on the road has no front license plate. Has the law changed? Or are electric vehicles exempt from this requirement? I’d like to know because I’ll remove my front license plate too since it looks ugly on my car.
Q: Are Teslas exempt from the requirement to have license plates on the front and back? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one with a front plate.
Answer: The law has not changed and electric vehicles — including Teslas — are not exempt. Hawaii Revised Statutes 249-7(b) requires vehicles to have a license plate securely affixed at the front and the rear of the vehicle.
We’ve gotten so many questions about this lately that we wondered whether we’d missed a recent change, but Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city’s Customer Services Department, assured us that’s not the case.
“No exemptions are made in the state statute for any specific type of vehicle,” she said, referring to electric cars in general and Teslas in particular.
(HRS 249-7(b) does specify that trailers, semitrailers and motorcycles have a single license plate, but that’s apart from the requirements for vehicles, such as cars, described earlier in the statute.)
Vehicles that lack proper license plates risk failing their safety inspection or being ticketed by police for noncompliance on the road.
We called a Honolulu Tesla dealer for more information but were referred to a corporate communications office that did not respond by deadline. We also emailed the Tesla Hawaii Club, but didn’t hear back.
So we turned to online forums of Tesla enthusiasts and learned that many owners don’t like the look of a front license plate, or don’t want to drill holes in their car to affix it. Some said they attached the front plate temporarily, to pass the safety check, and then took it off. Others said they permanently secured both plates, but used an adhesive to avoid drilling and bolts.
Also, some of the cars you have noticed could be new ones carrying a temporary paper tag on the back, to be replaced by permanent plates (front and back).
Lastly, Tesla owners who bring their cars to Hawaii from states that don’t require a front plate have some time to update their licensing and registration — you could be seeing those cars too. Whatever the reason, you are far from the only readers to notice.
Q: Don’t most states require a front plate?
A: Yes. Hawaii is among 31 states that require both a front and rear license plate; 19 require only a rear plate, according to a 2012 study by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. That analysis found significant economic, safety and security benefits for dual-plate states, assuming, of course, that the requirement to have two plates is enforced. You can read the analysis at 808ne.ws/platestudy.
Mahalo
Many thanks to the young couple who stopped traffic for me so that I could get across Kapiolani Boulevard to the mall. The cars go so fast there. These two could have easily crossed in time but they slowed down to match my aged gait so I wouldn’t be alone out there. — Still upright
Mahalo
Mahalo nui loa to Honolulu Department of Customer Services (complaints@honolulu.gov) representatives and work crews for their quick response to my request to remove a large broken limb which was blocking sidewalk traffic and forcing pedestrians onto busy Kapolei Parkway near Ewa Makai Middle School. I reported the problem late on a Tuesday afternoon and work crews removed and shredded the limb very early on Wednesday morning. They were finishing up when I made my daily walk, and I was able to thank them personally for their timely response and hard work. — Retired kupuna, Ewa Beach
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