Why do owners of Tesla Vehicles tap the charger on the rear taillight before plugging it in? Is this a growing trend that all the Tesla owners have started following, or is it based on actual science? Let’s find out!
Although multiple rumors have been spread over social media, in reality, there is a rather simple and boring reason as to why Tesla owners tap the charger on the taillight. It is just a manual way of opening the charging port!
Tapping the charger on the charging port, which is close to the taillight, is just one of the many ways to unlock the charging port.
Those who aren’t aware of this fact have created their own Urban myths.
So why do owners of Teslas tap the taillight with their chargers?
The first fact that you need to know is that the panel to access the charging port is a part of the rear taillight.
Many people think that Tesla drivers tap the rear taillight because it has some special feature, while in reality, they actually do it to open the charger port door.
Tesla features a number of ways to open the charging port in the car. These include:
- Holding the rear trunk button on the key fob for a second or two.
- Commanding through the car’s touch screen by just tapping the charge port icon.
- Using the voice command
- If you are using the Tesla supercharger, the supercharger cable can open the charge port automatically
- Tapping the charging port
So, tapping is just a manual way to access the charger’s port, and most Tesla owners use this way because it is convenient.
The charging port has a flap on it that is spring load so all you have to do is to tap it to unlock the port.
The Rumors About Tapping The Charger
People have seen videos on social media like Tiktok, where they found Tesla owners tapping the rear light of their cars after which they have been asking questions over different websites about why are Tesla drivers tapping their chargers.
For example on the ‘Tesla Owner Club’ someone wrote referring to some TikTok videos uploaded by random Tesla owners, that he found Tesla owners tapping at the taillight of their tesla several times before plugging in the charger.
So, what is the reason behind it?
This gave birth to a number of urban myths. Someone answered the above-asked question that tapping the charger assists to line up the electrons so that they can flow into the car in the most efficient and effective way possible.
If the tapping is ignored, the electrons are likely to accumulate at the charge port which results in a longer recharge session.
Other than this, according to TeslaTora, many people have wrongly started to believe that tapping the charger on the rear taillight improves the charging speed or connectivity by somehow aligning the electrons or removing any substance interrupting the connectivity of the charger.
Tapping The Charger Does Nothing Good!
Firstly it’s very unlikely that something like dirt or any other substance is blocking the charging connection, and if somehow it happens in the most unusual circumstances, tapping the charger against the car is not a solution!
Many people who understood that tapping the charger is nothing more than a growing trend, made fun of this question, as someone wrote on the ‘Tesla Motor Club’ that after plugging in the charger if you tap 3 times on the charger, your Tesla will play Pratt McClain’s greatest soundtracks through the external PWS speakers.
Another person replied to those who believe that tapping the charger improves the charging speed and connectivity, that it’s surprisingly a much cheaper way to improve the charging speed than the LC inline matching module that provides a constant 220kw of power.
He further said that he uses Loof Lirpa 2200 model but if simply tapping at the tail light actually works as well then a lot of money can be saved!
So tapping the charger on the taillight will only open the charging port!
The Idea of “Tap The Charger” Was Born From A TikTok Trend
The roots of this long social media discussion originally came from a viral TikTok trend.
TikTok trends can have a strong influence on people, which is why when some TikTok users claimed that tapping the charger to the tail light can boost the charging speed, people actually started believing it.
After this video other Tesla owners came into action considering it a social media challenge. So, it was just about people joining a trend without really seeking to understand the logic behind it.
Using A Tesla Supercharger
When you are at a Tesla charging station, the charging cable features a button on its nozzle that opens the charging port automatically.
However, a Non-Tesla station does not have this capability and requires you to tap the charger on the panel to access the charging port.
When you plug in the charger, the LED on the charge port will flash green. After plugging in the charger, you don’t need to supervise the charger. Have your snacks and monitor the power levels of your car on the Tesla smartphone app.
Other than the power levels of your car, the smartphone app will also let you know the cost incurred per hour of charging.
Different Chargepoint stations need different types of adapters. At the level 2 charging point, you can charge nearly all Tesla models using the normal Tesla chargers.
The J1772 which supports a charging speed of up to 19.2 KW is compatible with most level 2 public charging stations and it comes will all Tesla vehicles.
While, level 3 charging stations require the use of a CHAdeMo adapter, which Tesla car owners have to purchase separately.
Conclusion
You must be one of those who have pointed to Tesla owners tapping the charger on their car on social media, and wondering why Tesla owners tap the charger, so here we have got you covered.
If you were confused about whether this has an authentic reason or was just a groovy style of Tesla owners, we hope that now you are fully aware.
