Jan 22, 2013
gg_got_a_tesla Tried this today; no dice. Another violation maybe. Waiting for the front plate exterior transponder now. Sticking the interior transponder out the window till I get the exterior one
�
Jan 22, 2013
MikeK Although I'm not thrilled with the difficulty in getting EZ-Pass to work, I will say that I take some comfort in the really long list of vehicles on their web site for which the windshield transponder does not work, and for which they recommend the license plate transponder. It's certainly not just the Model S.�
Jan 23, 2013
fmatteson Does the Model S windshield block the FasTrak signal?
I'm a Bay Area driver and noticed that my FasTrak device is not being picked up by FasTrak toll readers. I used to have a Volvo that had to have the reader mounted outside the car. Is that the case here? In checking my account, my last toll read was 12/24, which was the day i got my new S and traded in the old car.�
Jan 23, 2013
highedu the coating on the windshield blocks UV among other things including your FastTrak. try mounting at the top center just below the rear view mirror, that is suppose to be the area where a signal will get through.�
Jan 23, 2013
eelton I've seen several threads about EZ pass and the like, but has anyone had issues with parking garage transponders? I assume they work the same way.
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Jan 23, 2013
dsm363 Yes. I have one that won't work at all.�
Jan 23, 2013
aviators99 Ditto�
Jan 24, 2013
eelton I guess I'll have to resort to opening the sunroof and sticking up my hand when going in and out of my garage at work every day. That's really a pain. (And mounting the transponder under the nose cone won't work for me, as I need to move it between cars, depending on what I'm driving.)�
Jan 24, 2013
kinddog why don't you program the homelink to be the garage-door opener? does this not work either?�
Jan 24, 2013
Lightning Jeff It's probably a key card, not a transmitter (as you'd have at home). I'm worried about the same thing with the garage at my office building. Card is supposed to be mounted at lower left of windshield, but that probably won't work.�
Jan 24, 2013
Bucket22 I have a parking garage transponder that won't work through the front windshield. But I've found that it does work through the driver's side window. I'm obviously not going to mount it there, but waiving it in front of a closed side window is a bit easier than opening the sunroof and sticking your hand up (at least here in Chicago in the winter).�
Jan 24, 2013
gg_got_a_tesla Got the ugly exterior FasTrak transponder in the mail; it came with two long "tamper-resistant" screws and an Allen wrench. This brick of a transponder is so rigid and heavy that I couldn't mount it on the curved license plate bracket on the nosecone. The holes that my DS drilled during delivery were too small and narrow to accommodate these long screws anyway.
Will have to live with sticking the interior transponder out the window till I can put license plates on the car (and will rely on their plate photo capture system from thereon). Sheesh...�
Jan 25, 2013
KenEE Got some instructions from Tesla on where to mount my ez-pass. They said there is no coating here:
�
Jan 25, 2013
eelton The transponders at my work garage are directly overhead, and they're finicky enough as is, so I suspect they wouldn't work through a side window.
Does anyone know if the sunroof has the same coating as the windshield? I assume it does.�
Jan 25, 2013
aviators99 Then I have a defective windshield.
- - - Updated - - -
Not sure whether it's the same coating or not, but my transponders do not work through it.�
Jan 25, 2013
bluetinc Along with many others this has also been driving me crazy. I'll also point out that here in the DC metro area the new transponders have a switch that the user must regularly flip when they go from HOV status to non-HOV status, so the front tag transponders are out as an answer.
I tried this for both my ezpass, and my radar detector, and tested both in this area and (in my car at least), there is a coating in this area that Tesla is pointing to.
Peter
�
Jan 25, 2013
KenEE I'm not pointing to anything. That picture was provided by Tesla. My local ez-pass store has a test reader so you can make sure your pass is working. Next week I'll stop by and try to verify if this can or cannot work. I was going to mount it in my nose-cone but the rules are that you have to also DISPLAY the pass.
I'm not a strict rule follower, (i.e. not mounting my front plate), but since I like to use the HOV lanes by myself, I don't want problems. (in Houston you can use your ez-pass to pay for HOV access when driving alone)�
Jan 25, 2013
kinddog there has got to be some chemical/liquid that can be applied to the inside of the windshield that will dissolve this coating off, don't you think?
Ethanol? Gasoline? Mountain Dew Code Red?�
Jan 25, 2013
ElSupreme I think the coating is in the laminated layer between the two pieces of glass. It is probably integrated into the plastic film that makes safety glass possible.
Laminated glass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia�
Jan 25, 2013
jerry33 That would be hydrofluoric acid.�
Jan 26, 2013
bob_p Went to a local EZ Tag store in Houston yesterday with my new Model S - and after multiple passes through the test lane and trying different locations, actually found a simple solution that appears to work well.
I was able to slide the windshield EZ Tag partially underneath the mount for the rear view mirror on the right side, and up into the joint between the windshield and the roof. This results in hiding the upper half of the tag from the inside of the car, and about 1/3 of the left part of the tag. The fit in there is snug enough, doesn't appear I may need to peel the backing off the tag and glue it to the windshield.
The tag is sitting on the portion of the windshield that has the small black dots.�
Jan 26, 2013
ElSupreme I was able to see the metalic film in the windshield yesterday, sort of flat lighting from overcast skies. It is only on the visible portion of the window (i.e. not on the solid black surround) but it does go over the 'dots' section just to the right of the rear view mirror. I don't see where there is a 'clean' spot. The whole rear view mount area is not coated.
I would suggest pushing the tag up into the headliner or down near the VIN. It may read in those locations. I don't use the tolls around Atlanta enough to mount my tag, and we use license plate recognition as a first pass so I am not too worried about not installing mine. It will be in the car, and I might hold it up but won't install it.�
Jan 26, 2013
eelton If you could post a picture, that would be great.
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Jan 28, 2013
aviators99 I was poking around the Sunpass site today, and discovered that you can look at all of the pictures from when the Sunpass doesn't work and they bill you based on your plate. I've got another 100 pictures of my car! This one was pretty funny, as it was during a time I was trying *everything* to get it to work. I'm surprised that this one failed:
�
Jan 29, 2013
bob_p 
Seems to work great - I've checked the online activity log - and the tag has registered every time when passing a toll sensor�
Jan 29, 2013
aviators99 But I don't think the I-95 Express Lane shield will work in that location.�
Jan 29, 2013
DJ Frustration Hey, aviators99 how did you get that picture from the Sunpass website? I've dug around and can't find the section.�
Jan 29, 2013
JakeP I remember being sent one of these pics of me in my Porsche Boxster, with the top down, clearly holding the EzPass aloft...all I could surmise was that maybe I was holding it upside-down?�
Jan 29, 2013
steve841 This proves the point: Lets not put too much stock in to the government's systems...�
Jan 29, 2013
aviators99 Under "Activity" go to "Advanced Search" and filter on "Image Toll".
- - - Updated - - -
Actually, I think I did it too late...�
Jan 29, 2013
MikeK Awesome picture. Perhaps the battery in the transponder is bad?�
Feb 1, 2013
smd In the SF Bay Area, I've tried the FasTrak transponder multiple times to the right and below the rear view mirror and it just doesn't work for me. I do have my license plate registered in their system, so they are charging me correctly with each pass via their photos. I'll just routinely go without my transponder. The only issue now is using the paid HOV lanes that use the FasTrak system. Once I get my HOV access stickers, that won't be an issue either as I would get free access and would need to shield the transponder from working anyway.�
Feb 2, 2013
PattyChuck There seems to be a lot of response on here concerning east and west coast EZPasses. Anyone have any experience in the IL/IN area with IPass?�
Feb 3, 2013
MikeK Be a bit careful. The FasTrak page says that they may levy a fee if they have to charge based on license plate on a regular basis.�
Feb 3, 2013
gg_got_a_tesla I've given up on making FasTrak work with the Model S. I'm making do with sticking the transponder out the window (resting my hand on top of the door frame) despite what the ditty says. Doing this while going through the Dumbarton Bridge's carpool FasTrak lane at 50 mph hasn't been a problem. If the weather's poor, I'll occasionally rely on the license plates being recognized (once I get the plates).
This is me:
Hopefully, not this:
�
Feb 4, 2013
DJ Frustration Thought I'd share this list of Special Windshield Mounting Instructions from the Sunpass website. Seems like known info. for this group but I didn't know about the front license plate transponder (that I will not be installing).
Special Windshield Mounting Tips
�
Feb 4, 2013
KenEE I was all worked up (mainly from this thread) that I would have problems with my ez-pass here in Houston.
Well it was unfounded. Before I put the pass on my windshield I went and tested it with a test unit at the local ez-pass store.
It didn't matter where I put it on the windshield it worked every one of 5 or 6 passes.
Maybe they forgot to coat my windshield?�
Feb 5, 2013
W8MM You should be so lucky.
Do you have a panoramic roof? If you do, the transponder may be communicating through it in spite of the coated windshield.�
Feb 5, 2013
tdubb @KenEE, I tried multiple locations on my windshield with the EZTag without success and even went through multiple different tags. Ended up having to get a front license plate mount and open the pano roof to get into my parking garage at work, big time pain. Would be really interested in where exactly you mounted your EZTag....�
Feb 5, 2013
ElSupreme I saw an early signature car, and I have looked at my car. The windshields are slightly different. With that let me lay out a few points.
You can see the coating that is blocking RF signals. It is easier in direct sunlight. It starts along the blacked edges of the glass. Move you head back and forth looking at the very edge. It looks slightly silvery shimmery.
Now look up at your rear view mirror (from the outside). The early Signature had a full black out on both sides of the mirrors. On the drivers side are the light sensors, and probably rain sensors. Inside there is a black housing around this. On the early Signature the passenger side had the same solid black out. This solid black out is NOT coated with the metallic film. Whether or not the black out paint blocks RF or not I don not know.
Now look up at your rear view mirror (from the outside). My car has a full black out on the drivers side. But dots on the passenger side. I can see the metallic film it follows the full black out, so no hole in it for RF to travel.
What does this mean? Well if you want your RFID toll/gate/parking pass to work you need to find a place on the windshield that isn't coated. The only place that isn't coated are the fully blacked portions. There is the small blacked surround along the sides and top, or at the bottom there is a very thick blacked surround. I would try these places first.
I truly think putting these tags on the bottom edge of the window, in the fully blacked area near the VIN is probably your best bet.
As for garage door openers, I think you are going to be stuck with opening a window (or getting line of site through a side window) or sunroof. Or getting them to work with HomeLink. That or mounting your opener in the nosecone, and running the push button to the cabin somehow.�
Feb 5, 2013
Electric Machete I placed the gate pass for my development just lateral to the rear view window stalk on the passenger's side. I kind of tucked it up under the fabric of the roof amongst the little black dots that are on the top of the windshield. The gate pass works fine. It is an RFID chip on a little sticker. I have had no issues.
I was optimistic given this revelation that my SunPass would also work, but it does not. I placed it just below the gate pass and lateral to the rear view mirror stalk. I am using SunPass mini. It is essentially an RFID enclosed in a sticker that once removed from a windshield becomes unusable. Great for theft protection, not so great for trying out placement. Since my plate is registered with Sunpass it will simply charge me based upon my plate, but it is pretty annoying knowing that if I hit any toll plaza's that have a gate, I will probably get stuck. Unless it is an issue with speed. When I approach my gate at home, I am completely stopped. I go through the SunPass plazas usually around 30-40 MPH.�
Feb 5, 2013
Robert.Boston FWIW, my EZPass is mounted on the dotted-black area to the passenger side of the rear-view mirror mount. I've had no problems with it registering while traveling at speed through toll plazas.�
Feb 5, 2013
brianman ElSupreme, can you find or create a wiki to make note of these Sig vs. Prod differences? A year from now (and in the future) I'm sure many of us will want a comprehensive list of the known differences.�
Feb 6, 2013
fmatteson I originally posted my question under another topic and it was moved here, but still haven't seen an answer from any California Bay Area folks about their FasTrak pass. I've tried below the rear view mirror as some have suggested with no luck. I"ve tried on the left side, etc. All that seems to work is holding it out the window. Which is fine for the 'slow" tolls, but the fast tolls mean that your are holding your hand out the window at 60 mph. Anyone else had any luck?�
Feb 6, 2013
contaygious I am in sf and hold it to the right and in front of the rear view mirror with no issues. The little black spot that is marked works at the golden gate. I don't mount the big ugly pass though. I hold it up each time and then out it back into my shelf.�
Feb 6, 2013
SSher For you Illinois owners, I called IDOT and for $10 they sent me a License Plate Transponder that I have placed on the top of my front plate. Works great and I don't have to look at the White iPass on my windshield. 1-800-824-7277.�
Feb 6, 2013
mattjs33 You don't even need the transponder in the car. In fact you don't need it at all.*
If you go through an iPass lane without the equipment detecting a transponder, it will record your plate and run it against the database of iPass registered vehicles. Once they find your registered plate on your account, they will deduct the appropriate amount from your account automatically. The people at iPass told me this themselves.
I have one transponder for my seven licensed vehicles. My wife and I used to transfer it to whichever vehicle we were going to be driving, but we haven't bothered in years. No tickets, no fines. And I don't think there's any limit to the number of vehicles you can add onto one account.
*The "deposit" you pay for the transponder is money that goes directly to line the pockets of the officials at the Illinois Tollway Association. That's how things are done here. Home of the most corrupt government system in the country, mentors of our esteemed President.�
Feb 7, 2013
KenEE One thing you might want to know is that the test run at the EZTag store only lights up Yellow, NOT Green, on success. I went through a few times and only got Yellow so I held my tag up through the pano and still got Yellow. So I went in and talked to the guy who told me Yellow is good.
I was able to have a successful reading anywhere on the windshield including right in front of my face and any random place I tried. (I even got success just laying the tag in the cubby! )
I settled on putting it right where Tesla recommends in the picture I posted earlier in the thread.
Haven't had any troubles since going through "real" stations.�
Feb 7, 2013
sp4rk Thanks for that!�
Feb 7, 2013
DJ Frustration I did but I only get the details and option for a receipt, which just shows the details. Can't find anywhere with the actual photo. Am I missing something?�
Feb 7, 2013
CarlE_P439 People may know this already, but given the delay in getting our license plates (6 weeks now for me) it is worth mentioning that EZ pass cannot read your EZ Pass tag unless you actually have a license plate (takes a picture of your license plate and scans your tag at the same time). When I went through EZ Pass (with new tag but no plates), there was a yellow light that said something I can't remember. I did not receive any violation notice and as far as I know I was not charged anything (only did this once) and stopped at the cash lanes the rest of my journey.�
Feb 7, 2013
aviators99 You must be. I just tried again. After you select "image toll" you have to click search. Maybe you missed that?�
Feb 8, 2013
eelton Just got my car..
I tried my parking transponder at work today, moving out all around the supposedly uncoated area of the windshield. It didn't work. I had to open the window and hold it over the roof (the receiver is overhead). Very frustrating.
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Feb 8, 2013
Elshout You get a free pass, at least in California. I usually place my FasTrak California on top of the dash but 3 times I've gone over the Golden Gate Bridge without paying as my FasTrak was not read. Will try placing it right below the mirror mount.�
Feb 12, 2013
MikeK Crossed the Bay Bridge on Sunday night, with my transponder held in the "dotted" area next to the mirror mount. It did not register. :-( Next time, I guess I'll try it just below the mirror mount.
If that fails, next time I'll try holding it up to the panoramic roof, with the roof closed.
I don't use the EZ Pass often enough that I'm especially worried about it, but it's annoying.�
Feb 14, 2013
dashrb I was inspecting my own (VIN 03751) windshield and comparing it to an October vehicle, and our windshields are different. His solid black region near the mirror is symmetric, but mine is not--the passenger side has black dots rather than a solid black region. However, my coating covers this black-dotted region, so there is nowhere for my EZPass to be located. How many different windshield configurations are there?�
Feb 14, 2013
MikeK Has anybody tried a California FasTrak transponder up against the sunroof glass?
I'm also trying to get a good understanding of the FasTrak requirements for EVs -- I remember that there was a bunch of complication regarding HOV lanes, carpool hours, bridges and so forth, and now there's the added complication of the HOT lanes. In some cases, do you still need to either shield the transponder or set a switch on it to indicate that you're a carpool? If not, then I'll pursue remote-mounting a transponder behind my nosecone.�
Feb 14, 2013
brianman Perhaps 3751?�
Feb 14, 2013
ahimberg Yesterday I crossed 520 twice, holding my front plate pass to the upper windshield a little below the rear view mirror. It registered going east but not west.
Put the front plate pass onto my front plate frame today (no plates yet), I assume that will have 100% recognition but didn't cross today.�
Feb 14, 2013
gg_got_a_tesla No pano roof here so, can't answer that. Still having to stick the transponder out the window through the ~50 mph carpool lane of the Dumbarton Bridge. By the way, had to go through the 25 mph regular FasTrak lane (with a narrower canopy than the carpool one) of the same toll plaza the other day (with no passenger) and tried the transponder on the spotted area to the right of the mirror stem and it beeped just fine! So, the speed and/or proximity of the sensors in the canopy may have something to do with it too.
Regarding requirements, an EV is equivalent to a carpool even when driving solo and both have to use the transponder or (occasionally) rely on the plates being recognized through bridge toll plazas. The same carpool hours apply. You do have to "hide" the transponder in the HOT lanes (such as 237) and you can ride in them solo with the HOV decals; an external transponder would put you at a disadvantage here.�
Feb 14, 2013
astrotoy The Fastrack instructions say to save the mylar film bag it comes in and put the transponder in the bag when you go in HOT lanes. The sensors won't see the transponder and won't charge you.
To make it clear, you have to have a Fastrack to use the bridge toll carpool lanes and you do pay a discounted toll. It used to be free and no transponder was required. But that changed a couple of years ago. If the sensor doesn't see your transponder, they will take a picture of your license plate which has been registered with your transponder and just deduct the toll from your balance. This is true for anyone with a transponder that doesn't get read. A few years ago I had a transponder whose battery went bad and it would never beep when I went through the toll plaza. However, I still got billed as if it had read the transponder. If you go through without a transponder and don't have one registered to that set of plates, then you get a big ticket.�
Feb 15, 2013
MikeK FasTrak has a big list of vehicles with these coated windshields, so they know that the internal transponder doesn't work on them. Has anybody seen any suggested guidance from them for people with the license plate transponders of how to deal with HOT lanes? They can't seriously expect that those folks are SOL, can they?�
Feb 16, 2013
jerry33 Well it's government, so they expect that everyone will conform their standards rather than [the government] giving any flexibility.�
Feb 16, 2013
W8MM I'm very interested in your observation. How can you tell where the coating boundaries are located? Do you need a flashlight or just sunlight?
I've had a long conversation about the windshield coating with Tesla, mainly to do with radar detectors. They assured me there would be no windshield produced without the coating because of thermal gain into the interior of the Model S from sunshine.
However, they didn't reveal whether they might block up the coating hole further ;-0�
Feb 16, 2013
dashrb I found it easiest to see in broad daylight. The coated portion is more reflective. Looking at the blue sky via reflection off the windshield, I was able to see where the coating ends, near the "margins" (edges) of the windshield where the glass is solid black. I looked very closely to see it initially, but once my eyes recognized the boundary, it was easy to visually observe the coating around the entire glass.�
Feb 16, 2013
Tommy Hope this helps with getting your FasTrak transponder to work reliably. I am in Southern CA, however, per the FasTrak web page, a FasTrak responder will work in Northern CA or Southern CA. My mounting placement should work as well for you.
Some background: I tried placing the transponder in the dotted area of the windshield just right of the rear view mirror as suggested by other posters with mixed results; 1 out of 4 times it would work. I noticed looking from the outside at the windshield, there is a sensor where the mirror mounts and reasoned that there might be a "hole" in the windshield coating to let unfiltered light be "seen" by the sensor and hopefully also be "seen" by the transponder.
To test my idea out, I mounted the bottom edge of the transponder to the vertical stalk of the rear view mirror by placing a small piece of velcro on the bottom of the mirror stalk and a small velcro piece on the bottom edge of the transponder. Next, I rolled up the strip of white velcro that comes with the transponder to wedge the transponder between the mirror and itself so the transponder is firmly held up against the headliner.
I have used the transponder over a dozen times now in this placement and it it has worked each time giving me the two beeps as I pass through the overhead readers. Hopefully it works for you too so you don't have to go the license mount way.
�
Feb 16, 2013
gg_got_a_tesla Interesting, Tommy. Thanks! I may not put it there permanently - still an eyesore - but, will prop it up there briefly when going through the toll plaza.�
Feb 17, 2013
Tommy The camera notices it, the driver's eye doesn't. I thought the same thing when I first mounted it; however convenience trumps aesthetics in this case as it is not nearly as obtrusive as the camera depicts unless starring at it. It tucks behind the mirror fairly well.�
Feb 19, 2013
eelton SUCCESS!
Building on what Tommy posted, I've come to the realization that none of the exposed parts of my windshield are uncoated. I've tried my parking transponder to the right of the mirror, below the mirror, and to the left of the mirror, but no success.
However, it turns out that the part of the windshield covered by the plastic mirror mount *is* uncoated. So, the transponder can transmit through that plastic mirror mount.
I've found that these two locations work reliably for me. I tend to favor the second, although I may apply a coat of black Plastidip (removable paint) to the transponder to make it less visible.
�
Feb 19, 2013
MikeK Is there anyplace in the Bay Area where you can test FasTrak without just going back and forth over bridges and paying tolls?�
Feb 19, 2013
fmatteson Thanks, Tommy. This morning I drove over the Carquinez bridge (with the fast lanes), holding the transponder out the window when it was pouring rain and 42 degrees. I can't wait to try your method!�
Feb 20, 2013
gg_got_a_tesla Tommy, this was brilliant! I held up the transponder in that spot this morning going at 50 mph through the Dumbarton Bridge's carpool toll lane and it worked! It wasn't inconvenient to hold it up there briefly (I only have to do this once a weekday) and then put the transponder back in the chin cubby. Thanks again!�
Feb 27, 2013
Malasada Thought I was on to something as placing my FasTrak in the area above the 17" screen "T" worked for 4 days in a row going across the San Mateo bridge, but today it didn't pick it up. Would be curious if this area works at all for other Bay Area tolls.
�
Feb 27, 2013
sp4rk Mounted mine on the mirror's vertical holder and for the first time it worked at a toll plaza!
Why is TM not telling us this? Should we really need to be experimenting?�
Feb 27, 2013
bbamrah
Are you using the fat EZ Pass in Illinois, or do you have a slimmer version that I don't know about?�
Feb 28, 2013
Tempus To confirm this, i have been able to use my ezpass consistently in va, md, de, nj by holding it directly behind the rear view mirror. Brilliant suggestion above!�
Feb 28, 2013
sp4rk I am using IPass.
As pictured here: Pea Gravel: I-Pass, I-Zoom, EZ-Pass Toll Transponders
It is FAT. But what am I to do? Will paint it black maybe.�
Mar 12, 2013
Mark Z I have posted this over at Tesla Motors. The 91 Express Lanes doesn't read the FasTrak pass as well as on The Toll Roads. Studying the vehicle for proper angle and clear window area, this is the location that is working for me 100% of the time.
Under the rear hatch gives proper angle and alignment through the rear window, yet not visible from the outside. The recessed area makes it easy to find and mount with the Velcro provided.
I did not want to place the FasTrak on the rear glass due to angle, visibility and adhesives on the window defogger traces.
For those that want to hear the double beep, it will be difficult in this location. For testing, I placed an iPhone under the cover handle and recorded the sound using Voice Memos. Just take note of the driving start time and when passing under the sensor.�
Mar 12, 2013
MikeK On a recent return trip from the East Bay, I held my FasTrak transponder up by the mirror stem when passing through the Dumbarton Bridge toll plaza. Worked fine! Just FYI.�
Mar 13, 2013
kevincwelch Rob-
Would you mind posting a picture?�
Mar 13, 2013
johnmodels Thanks for the research guys!!! I mounted my gate transponder to the plastic holding the rear view mirror to the windshield and for the first time it worked!!!�
Mar 13, 2013
aaron.s Guys
I can also confirm with my NY/NJ E-ZPass that if you hold it up by the stem (mount) for the rear view mirror, it works like a charm!
Aaron�
Mar 13, 2013
SouthJerseyJon Mounting the new smaller EzPass to the black plastic mount above the rear view mirror worked for me on the Nj Turnpike all four times I tried it and the Commodore Barry Bridge as well.
�
Mar 14, 2013
Mark Z Tommy's and Eelton's mirror mount area works perfectly. The large FasTrak can be placed directly on the mirror mount as shown. Move the left Velcro so both strips are in contact with the mirror mount. I used an extra Velcro and left the original strip in place.
Mounting the large FasTrak in the recessed area of the rear hatch is a great alternative for those who don't want to mount it at the mirror. Saves the hassle of obtaining a license plate mounted model and removing the nose cone for invisibility. Since the license plate model costs more, The Toll Roads and 91 Express Lanes like the use of the standard pass. Here is the LINK.�
Mar 14, 2013
mknox That is really weird. I wonder if the mirror stem is acting like some kind of passive antenna to pass the signal through? I'm gonna try this with our ETR transponder here in Ontario.�
Mar 14, 2013
Mark Z Disregard rear hatch mounting
I received a reply to a question about the rear hatch transponder location. Here is the reply:
"Thank you for contacting The Toll Roads.
In accordance with the California Vehicle Code, it is not permitted to place the transponder in the rear window.
The internal transponder may be placed on the lower left-hand side or right-hand side of your windshield or behind the rear view mirror where it will not obstruct your sight while driving.
At times, we have found that the polarized windshields have prevented the internal transponder from reading at all times. Therefore, it may be necessary to replace your internal transponder with an external one.
This recommendation is presented in situations when the internal transponder fails to read while properly mounted and generates a significant number of tolls which are paid by the license plate number instead of the transponder number.
The external transponders mount directly to the front license plate brackets and are secured with tamper-resistant screws. A special tool is provided in order to remove/affix the external transponder.
Internal or external transponders do not cost more than the other. If you would like to request an external one, please feel free to respond to this email and we will process your request."
My thoughts: I did some additional research and the Bay Area web pages had this posted on their site:
"*Amendment to SEC.77, Section 26708 of the Vehicle Code, permitting:
An electronic communication device affixed to the center uppermost portion of the interior of a windshield within an area that is not greater than 5 inches square, if the device provides either of the following:
(A) The capability for enforcement facilities of the Department of the California Highway Patrol to communicate with a vehicle equipped with the device.
(B) The capability for electronic toll and traffic management on public or private roads or facilities.
SEC. 77, Section 26708 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:
Signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver, signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the rear window farthest removed from the driver, or signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 5-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest the driver."
Now it sounds as if the California Highway Patrol may scan the vehicle for a working pass while on patrol. If that is true, then the mirror mount location would be best.
Since I cannot edit my posts due to my status, my previous suggestions will remain in the thread.�
Mar 15, 2013
kcveins Thanks for the tips - I will try this. The new iPass is much smaller than the older old and looks like the picture of the EZ pass posted 4 posts above.
In Illinois, if you want to get the external transponder for the iPass, you have to pay an extra $10 - but they warn you that if there is even a little crack in it and water or snow gets into it, it will stop working and we have to replace it at our cost. There were also 2 people in the iPass facility on Tuesday saying that their external transponders had been stolen, so it is relatively easy to unscrew from the license plate.�
Mar 15, 2013
markb1 I think the windshield is just not coated there, due to other antennas housed under the plastic.�
Mar 15, 2013
dadaleus I've had my SoCal fasttrak mounted to the rear view mirror bracket exactly as Mark Z shows above (except I have it rotated 90 degrees) for a month now. Works flawlessly. Thanks everyone for posting on here! I would have never figured that out on my own.�
Mar 15, 2013
Mark Z The only remaining challenge with the mirror mount location OR the transponder located behind the nose cone is the California Vehicle Code where it requests that the device be visible. Only motorcyclists have the ability to "hide" the transponder from view. Here is the link:
V C Section 23302 Refusal to Pay Tolls
"...the device shall be located in or on the vehicle in a location so as to be visible for the purpose of enforcement at all times when the vehicle is located on the vehicular crossing or toll highway."
The large FasTrak transponder is partially visible from the drivers side, but it disappears on the passenger side.
It will be interesting how an officer handles a partially visible, perfectly working transponder mounted above the rear view mirror in the preferred mounting location.
![[?IMG]](https://www.bayareafastrak.org/img/diagrams/vehicleMounting.png)
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Apr 3, 2013
DSK just to add my 2 cents (to this dead horse?):
I have two AVI/RFID type stickers, Peach Pass (Georgia tolls) and one for my work garage.
It took some experimentation, but as a couple of other people already noted (and I thought I was going to be the first), I have slide each of them under the black plastic housing of the rear view mirror. I have NOT removed the backing for the sticky side. I think they will stay, or I may use a small piece of double stick tape. I have tested each, they both work great now. I can post or send pics if anyone needs them. The peach pass sticker is long and thin, that one is almost completely hidden under the plastic housing (right side - north/south orientation . The work garage AVI is credit card sized and the main part is under the housing (and pushed up under the fabric above) and about 1/3 is exposed (left-side of mirror in east-west orientation). But it all works!
It would have been very helpful if Tesla had given us easier access to under the nose or the front part of the roof (the 7" wide or so strip that runs between the windshield and the pano roof).
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Apr 3, 2013
Cheerose Why not use the front bumper mount that the tolls (like Peach Pass) offers? Is it security (since the tag is now exposed to the public) or the fact that it just doesn't "look" right?
If you could post a picture of the Peach Pass, that would be great. (If you already have one on the Atlanta FB site, I can look for it there as well)�
Apr 8, 2013
DSK @Cheerose
not exactly what you were asking for, but here is this got Peach Pass to work (in case any of you are still having issues) | Forums | Tesla Motors
you can also go to the peach pass website to see the rfid strip. To answer your question, I could have used the front bumper mount, but only as a last resort. I did not have the front bumper pre drilled to have the mount. And, you are right, I would not like the way it would look, but, if you have to then you have to. Lastly, I did not try it, but my understanding is that it might not work if you tried the rfid strip as low as the bumper. Having said that, I would have tried it INSIDE the black plastic shield first. Fortunately, I did not have to try that.�
Apr 12, 2013
MichaelS I just mounted my FASTRAK license plate mount transponder under the nose cone. And it works great.
I first mounted it on the front lower grill below the nose cone. It worked once, then failed the second time. I realized there is a big steel support member right behind the nose cone that was probably blocking the RF signal.
I mounted the transponder with Velcro on the front of the steel member right below the rounded bulge. The nose cone seems to fit perfectly back into its location. The nose cone probably holds the transponder in place.
I would guess that a regular windshield transponder would also work in that position as long as its mounted sticking out a bit.�
Apr 12, 2013
flybob08 Glad to hear that. I just did the same thing with Velcro earlier today and was holding my breath. Nose cone came off pretty easily and the pictures on other threads were right on. I used a small plastic pry bar to get it popped off.�
Apr 15, 2013
flybob08 Placing the EZ toll tag license plate bar (black) behind the nose cone on the metal bumper just below the upper ridge on the bumper works like a champ. Gates jump open early. Works better than the window toll tag did on my old BMW Icer - feels like a new pair of Keds
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Apr 16, 2013
Miuaiga I had success by placing the EZ Tag on the backside of the rear view mirror shaft, as others had suggested. Not anxious to try to remove nose cone for this.�
Apr 16, 2013
MikeK I had success with the FasTrak transponder in that location behind the mirror on two attempts, but not on two subsequent attempts. I do have two transponders, so I'm going to try the other on the off chance that the battery crapped out. The nose cone location is not ideal because of situations where you are not required to pay a toll (e.g. the HOT lanes).�
Apr 16, 2013
gg_got_a_tesla It's inconsistent for sure. Reviewed my FasTrak transactions online and found that, between 02/16/13 (when I started using the transponder-behind-the-mirror) through today, out of 43 attempts, only on 12 occasions did it NOT work (the plates were ID-ed instead). Still not bad at all.�
Apr 18, 2013
W8MM Bingo -- we have a winner! I'm an RF engineer and agree completely.
After I looked at our car closely, the fact that the metallic coating is absent only in the area covered by the plastic mirror area cover is important. The only place for RF transponder signals to pass through the windshield is in this area. The plastic cover passes the signals without too much attenuation and the message traffic can snake around what metallic contents are contained under the cover. The coated windshield areas completely short out any RF trying to pass. The uncoated area allows for signal passage obstructed only by the contents hidden by the plastic cover.
Radar detectors are very unlikely to work behind the plastic cover without serious consideration of the placement of objects hidden by the cover. Toll transponders use VHF or UHF frequencies that can more easily tolerate minor obstructions due to their wavelength. Radar signals can be completely blocked by elements too small to seriously affect toll transponders.�
Jul 4, 2013
hodas Our new Los Angeles FastTrak needs to be mounted somewhere convenient, because our transponders have a switch to set how many people are in the car, as HOV access/charges on the 110 and 10 freeways varies for time of day and number of passengers.
Fortunately, the spot to the right of the rearview mirror base seems to be working ok for me.
I was faced with the problem of ALSO having an RFID credit-card-style parking pass for work. I was going to just live with swapping it and the FastTrak as needed (fortunately my FastTrak use is mostly on the weekends), but I discovered that velcroing it to the inside of the small triangle of glass at the front part of the driver door works. You could not fit a FastTrak/EZpass there, but for card-style transponders this appears to be an option.�
Jul 14, 2013
vbandl01 ez pass NY/NJ area
i tried all the ways i can to hold it when nearing ezpass but as of today it worked only couple of times.
any guess where else i can try to install this in car�
Jul 15, 2013
lloyds darn, I just found this after changing the batteries to my garage opener.�
Oct 7, 2013
dc_transformer Installed Virginia EZPass successfully 1/2" to the right side of the rear-view mirror mount, 1/2" below the top of the glass, per recommendation from Tesla Service. The left half of the transponder is on the area covered with black dots. Left side didn't work, presumably due to coated glass as noted elsewhere in this thread.�
Oct 7, 2013
TeslaSinHR Great information in this thread! My "FastPass" for going over the toll bridge at Hood River, OR wouldn't work through the windshield so they gave me a motorcycle transponder. Another owner had suggested putting it in the nose cone and I had the Tesla service people in Portland do it. It never quited worked correctly - I had to slow down to 7 mph about 50 feet before the gate in order for it to pick up.
Looking at the photos I see that it may be mounted in a bad spot so I'll try moving it. Also good to know about the potential "clear spot" on the windshield.�
Dec 16, 2013
NJS1207 My standard-issue interior New Jersey EZPass transponder only worked intermittently when installed above the rear view mirror in the suggested location. I exchanged it for one of the larger exterior transponders that is supposed to be mounted on the license plate bracket. Instead of mounting it on the license plate, I attached it to the top of the rear-view mirror with Velcro. It just so happens that the exterior tag is precisely the same width and color as the rear-view mirror. It is completely unobtrusive to my eye, and I have not had a failed signal since installing it four months ago.�
Dec 18, 2013
TylerCA I stick mine out of the window�
Dec 21, 2013
caddieo I had tried various locations on the windshield in the past based on the many suggestions in this thread but could never get the gate opener to our community to work - even when placed in close proximity to and all around the rear view mirror base. It occurred to me this afternoon that the dotted area to the right of the base, often mentioned in past posts, was roughly rectangular in shape and my past trials were done with the transponder's long axis perpendicular to the long axis of the dotted area. In that type of orientation, most of the transponder is actually in the clear area. So I went out a while ago with the transponder's long axis along the long axis of the dotted area - i.e., vertical instead of horizontal. This orientation puts most of the transponder within the dotted area. Voila! It works! I do have to go very slowly and get as close to the transmitter as possible but it does work as soon as the nose of the car is at or just past the transmitter. No more PITA of sticking my hand out the window. :biggrin:�
Jan 26, 2014
ecarfan After trying to get my San Francisco Bay Area Fastrak transponder to work in various positions at the top center of the windshield with only inconsistent success, I ordered an external transponder (looks like the one flybob08 posted about) and attached it to the two lower screw holes of my front plate using the special "tamper-resistant" screws provided with the transponder. Seems like the easiest approach.
Update: went over the Golden Gate Bridge today with my new external Fastrak transponder and it worked perfectly.
For those of you who are struggling with how to make your standard Fastrak transponder work from inside the car, I think the external transponder is the best solution.�
Feb 18, 2014
billmccl After all of the posts concerning transponders, and my need to use two of them---the Georgia PeachPass and my second home gated community north of Atlanta---, I solved the problem with no visible change on my Tesla.
The Atlanta service center has attached the transponders (similar to the one pictured ecarfan) on the inside of the nosecone. They work and are invisible. Like everyone else, the patch transponders simply will not work consistently through the windshield. They used velcro tape and it works fine.
I have attached pictures from the service center installation. All is now well and the transponders both work flawlessly.
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Feb 18, 2014
JPP ...inside of the nosecone...seems like more work and risk of plastic damage versus mounting the same 'license plate' transponder to the black bumper (between the 2 ridges). I did mine with heavy duty velcro and a zip tie for security. No worries if the nose cone needs to be removed or replaced.�
Mar 6, 2014
DFibRL8R Interesting update after cracked windshield replacement:
I have an early Model S Vin 3983. When I first got the car, the only place I could mount the transponder (after about a month of experimenting) was directly on the plastic cover of the rear view mirror. Now, 1 year later, I just had the front windshield replaced due to a crack and now it works fine placed directly to the right of the rear view mirror on the glass. I read somewhere that the windshields on early production vehicles had the RF blocker throughout with no unblocked area for toll tags.�
Mar 6, 2014
HankLloydRight Does anyone have an actual picture or diagram of exactly what areas are clear and which ones are blocked? Every description is a bit different and not too clear.�
Mar 7, 2014
mknox This post shows the location for an Ontario, Canada transponder if it helps...�
Mar 7, 2014
HankLloydRight Has anyone tried mounting the regular white EZPass transponder (not the black license plate style) inside or on the nosecone? Seems to me that two of their standard connectors and the tag mounted on the nosecone or on the inside strut would work. Any reason that wouldn't work?�
Mar 7, 2014
ecarfan Hank, I believe that several posts in this topic, including some just a few posts earlier than yours, have done inside nose cone mounts and reported success.�
Mar 7, 2014
mknox I've been reluctant to do that because of how cold it would get there in the Canadian winters. Plus the Canadian transponders beep and have confirmation lights which I wouldn't be able to see.
I just posted this in the Canada forum this morning. Might be worth a try with some of these EZ Pass transponders (the transponder my brother uses in LA looks very similar to my Canadian one).�
Mar 7, 2014
fuelsman I don't have a photo but the Florida SunPass Transponder (the one with suction cups) works well when positioned just below the rear view mirror. I haven't had a mis-read yet. Sept. 2013 Model S build. The card type SunPass that sticks to the windshield doesn't work in any location.�
Mar 7, 2014
MarkR Our gated community uses something similar to the EZ Pass transponder. We used some heavy-duty Velcro tape to install it behind the nose cone. You may have to play with the angle of the transponder a bit to get it perfect, but the Velcro allows for easy modification. We like that the transponder is well hidden and opens every time.�
Mar 8, 2014
caddieo This is the only spot that works for me (see also my post #228 in this thread). Note that the transponder is oriented to conform to the shape of the dotted area. The sensitivity is less than ideal, perhaps due to the dots, and I have to come almost to a dead stop next to the transmitter post for it to work but that beats sticking my hand out of the window especially when it's raining.
I did consider the nose cone but my experience with this type of transponder (14 years) is that its longevity is shortened considerably by constant exposure to the heat of the sun so I never went that way. This present set-up allows me to remove the transponder when I am parked outdoors.
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