Why Do Tesla Owners Tap the Charger to the Tail Light? [Myths Busted!]

Do you see Tesla owners tapping their chargers on the tail lights? Some say it's a superstition, while others believe that it has something to do with the charging process.

If you're curious as to what the purpose of tapping the tail light is, I'm here to set the record straight!

So why do Tesla owners tap the charger? If you see a Tesla owner tapping on the left side of the tail light, they are actually opening the flap panel that houses the charging port to start charging. If you notice the tapping is instead on the back of the tail light (as you must have seen on Tiktok or Instagram), they're merely doing it for nothing to hop on the social media trend.

Overall, the tap-tap-tap before plugging in your Tesla is purely for fun and there's no scientific explanation for it.

While scrolling through the posts explaining why this eccentric behaviour has become popular on TikTok and Instagram, I was astounded to find that little of it made sense! Most of them just recycled the outlandish statement by “influencers” claiming these habits lead to faster charging or help align the electrons.

Can you believe that? It's hilariously absurd. 😂

Keep reading to learn more about this strange habit and why Tesla owners do it.

Related: Can You Charge a Tesla on Both Sides?

Why Do Tesla Owners Tap the Charger on the Tail Light?

As we have already established, Tesla owners tap the tail light with the charger on the left of the tail light assembly to open up the flap that covers the charging port. That's where you plug in your charger to start the charging process.

What might look like a bit of a “ritual” for Tesla owners, is simply an easier way to access the charging port.

Tapping the Tesla charger on the back of the tail light (anywhere apart from the flap panel I mentioned), before plugging it in for charging is a part of the social media trend that's been going around for a while now. Somewhere I believe it has a sexual reference and implies tapping the Tesla's ass before charging

It is not scientifically related to the charging process in any way – it does not increase or decrease the rate of charging as many believe, nor does it help balance or align the electrons! We'll come to that one in a sec!

So, if you see them tapping anywhere else on the tail light it's probably to look ‘cool' as part of a trend or for fun – nothing more than that!

Related: Can You Charge a Tesla While Driving?

Do You Have to Tap the Tail Light to Charge a Tesla?

No, not at all – you don't have to tap the tail light to charge a Tesla. Simply plugging in the charger will start the charging process, regardless of whether or not you tap the tail light.

Tapping on the left side of your tail light assembly, with either a charger or simply using your hand, can be used to open the charge port flap panel.

In addition to tapping on it, there are several other ways you can open the charge port. You can access it from the Tesla touchscreen, voice command or even your mobile app!

So the next time you see someone tapping their Tesla charger on the tail light, know that they're not doing anything to enable the charging session, it's simply a quirky habit they picked from the ‘Gram. 🫣

Now you might think, then…

Why Do People Tap Their Tesla Before Charging?

People tap their Tesla before charging for one main reason: to open the flap that houses the charge port. It's a simple process to open the charge port – just by tapping it on the left side of the tail light assembly.

That said there are a lot of weird theories out there that are thought to be the cause of this strange habit. Let's look at a few of them here:

1. X-rated reference

I headed over to various Tesla forums for ideas and found frequent mention of references that this tapping implies smacking Tesla's “bottom” as an expression of endearment before charging. Interesting!

Now, if you like to express love and appreciation for your Tesla with a tap smack before plugging it in, that's totally up to you! 🤠

2. Increases the rate of charging

This is one of the most popular theories about why people tap their Tesla before charging. Unfortunately, it has no scientific basis and is simply a superstition. The tapping does nothing to help with faster charging.

3. Helps align the electrons

… as weird as it could get.

Another theory that's been circulating around is that tapping helps to align electrons. Again, this is completely nonsensical and has no meaningful logic to it

4. Improves battery performance

The next theory is that tapping the Tesla charger on the tail light helps improve battery performance. Again, this claim has no scientific basis and is simply a myth.

Here are some real ways to improve your battery performance.

5. Superstition

For some, again sourcing back to Tiktokers and Instagrammers having fun in their videos, it's a superstition that if they don't tap the tail light three times before charging their Tesla, it will bring bad luck.

What do you think about this one? Leave me a comment below.

6. Avoid static electric shocks

Another theory is that people tap their Tesla to avoid static electric shocks. That's not the case either. Tesla has been designed in a way that it prevents any kind of electric shocks and the tapping has nothing to do with it.

7. Getting rid of dust and debris

Finally, some people might tap the charger to their Tesla to get rid of any dust or debris on the charge port before plugging it in. This could be true to some extent but I don't recommend doing this against your tail light as it might scratch or damage its surface.

Bottom line? Tapping the Tesla charger on the back does nothing to improve charging or battery performance – it's merely done as part of a trend or for fun.

Conclusion

Okay, there you have it!

If you wondered why Tesla owners double-tap or triple-tap the tail light before charging, now you know the answer!

It's simply a part of a social media trend and various underlying myths and has nothing to do with improving or aiding the charging process. The only practical purpose is for opening up the flap that covers the charging port on the left side to start the charging process.

And if you see them tapping anywhere else, it does nothing functional – they’re misguided or just having some fun!

Do you have any other explanations that you think could be the reason why people tap their Tesla before charging? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Tesla-ing! 😊

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