John Glenney is a happy man. He just became the first person known to drive coast to coast in a Tesla Model S. Not only that — he used only the company’s network of free Supercharger stations for fuel.

If you’ve never seen a Tesla before, try to spot one now. The pricey, game-changing electric cars are peeking into view faster in Washington state than anywhere else in the country.

As of November, 42 out of every 10,000 passenger cars registered in Washington were Teslas, according to data from auto industry analyst Hedges & Company. That’s good for third place behind California, where 67 out of every 10,000 passenger cars are made by the renegade Bay Area automaker, and the District of Columbia.

But look at cars registered just last year and Washington comes out ahead. The numbers show 8.3 out of every 10,000 passenger cars registered here in 2013, through November, were Teslas, compared with 7.9 out of every 10,000 in California.

In fact, Washington leads the nation in recent per-capita sales of all electric passenger cars, including more-affordable models like the Nissan Leaf: 293 of every 10,000 cars registered here in 2013, through November, will never need a drop of gas.

These are tiny numbers; there are only north of 500 Teslas in the whole state, according to preliminary year-end figures from Tonia Buell at the Washington State Department of Transportation. But they signal what could be a substantial electric-vehicle edge.

Tesla cars are selling better everywhere as enthusiasm for the Model S, with its 300-mile range per charge (in its $80,000 version) and host of digital features, persuades wealthy car enthusiasts to give them a try. Tesla sold 6,900 of the sedans in the fourth quarter of 2013, beating the previous quarter’s sales by 25 percent.

“This is the first electric vehicle for which there are no compromises,” said University of Washington graduate school dean David Eaton. He and his wife, Kathleen, drive the 346th Model S to come off the line — a limited edition in smooth cabernet red — and store two car seats for their grandkids in the big space under the hood Tesla insiders call the “frunk.”

The company’s innovations have drawn praise from the tech world, but it hasn’t been a smooth ride. Three Tesla Model S battery fires (including one in Kent) are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Tesla’s stock plummeted, but was boosted by NHTSA’s reaffirmed five-star safety rating.