The Tesla group is a close-knit community, and lots of lovers have taken to documenting their experiences with the electrical autos both for enjoyable, to unfold sustainability consciousness, and even to boost funding for sure causes, amongst different causes nonetheless. In current months, Mannequin Y proprietor C Woody has decked his automobile out in preparations for an upcoming street journey within the U.S. Although, he’s at the moment not sure if the journey will be capable of occur.
C Woody and his Herbie the Love Bug-themed Tesla Mannequin Y, dubbed “C Woody Watt,” are hoping to take a coast-to-coast journey from South Carolina to the West Coast, however he isn’t positive in the event that they’re going to have the ability to pull it off in spite of everything. With the rest of his journey on hiatus attributable to some ongoing medical issues, C Woody and his Tesla Mannequin Y want to elevate funds to proceed the journey, handle some medical prices, and provides to a handful of charities.
EVANNEX not too long ago hopped on the cellphone with C Woody to speak in regards to the journey, and he talked about a few of his well being issues, his Mannequin Y Efficiency, and the way forward for the journey. You may learn our interview with him under.
EVANNEX: Inform me a bit bit about your journey. Did you may have a particular route you’re planning on taking or something?
C Woody: I really needed to come again to Charleston for a pair days for some medical stuff. However I’ve bought two autoimmune ailments, I’ve bought psoriatic arthritis and I’ve bought psoriasis. And the biologic medicine I take is known as Humira, you’ve most likely seen it marketed on TV and whatnot. It brought about me to have acute pancreatitis again in December, and I spent six days within the hospital.
After that’s type of after I actually after I put the hardcore press on getting the automotive completed and getting it able to trip. There have been sure elements I used to be ready on and the timing with UPS and FedEx delays, however I needed everybody who was sponsoring me to have the illustration they deserved, particularly EVANNEX and the opposite of us that did the decal work on the automotive, and the parents that did the tire and wheel balancing.
However the intentioned route was all the way down to Florida to see the parents in Boca Raton, then I used to be gonna meet up with a man in Miami, Florida, and that didn’t pan out — he really was touring. Then I met with one other man, Reel Deal EV, his identify is Chad Reel, and he’s in Tampa, Florida.
And he mainly began his enterprise and web site by mainly simply looking for out find out how to supply the elements he wanted to repair his personal automobiles. The primary one was a P85 Mannequin S and he wound up discovering the elements via a provider in China to repair his display. One thing was happening along with his display after which he really discovered find out how to do it himself.
So he began sourcing these elements for different folks like mates and prospects and gained prospects. It was only a neat story, ? And he grabbed onto my story proper afterward as nicely, so I needed to assist him additionally.
After which we really had a few delivery SNAFUs. [EVANNEX] was alleged to be sending some carry springs for my automotive to boost it up a bit bit, and apparently UPS tried to ship them to my condominium complicated and couldn’t be within the constructing as a result of they needed to have a code but it surely was on a Sunday and the workplace was closed.
In order that first spherical really ended up getting shipped again to the provider in Ohio. They’d them shipped once more and so they shipped final Friday. Effectively, they have been alleged to be in Tampa by Tuesday, and so they had different delays and stuff like that, and now they’re not going to be in Tampa till Friday.
It’s simply been a number of obstacles, I’ll say. However the intention was to do these issues and I used to be going to attempt to wait in Florida till the springs arrived in Tampa after which drive again down there from Jacksonville and get them put in, and do what I wanted to do and get again on the journey. Hopefully, that’s nonetheless gonna occur, however I’ve bought to determine some monetary issues first as a result of it was far more costly than I anticipated it being, simply beginning off.
The time within the hospital again in December kinda scared me a bit, but it surely additionally prompted me to do one thing completely different. To do one thing like this, that possibly can profit different folks, as a result of I’m not assured tomorrow. Neither are you, however my “tomorrows” can generally get a bit brief.
EVANNEX: So would you say that each one of this was type of the rationale for you planning this journey?
C Woody: Sure. That was the principle cause. However the charities are charities I’ve donated to for years. That was a straightforward factor, I imply I’ve bought them in my tax data already. The charity half was the simple thought, like “I can carry consciousness and have them pasted all around the automotive.”
Principally, all I used to be attempting to do was simply make sufficient cash simply to take the journey all the best way. I even informed the folks at EVANNEX I used to be planning on sleeping within the automotive at nationwide parks and consuming beans out of the can and stuff. I’m not attempting to “generate income,” I’m simply attempting to assist myself lengthy sufficient to do that, that I felt led to do. And simply having the funds to do it.
EVANNEX: What are the charities you’re taking a look at serving to out with this journey?
C Woody: I’ve bought the Wounded Warriors, Assist Our Troops Basis, the American Alzheimer’s Basis as a result of my father was simply identified about 5 months in the past with Alzheimer’s. Additionally the Autoimmune Illness Basis, which is what I’ve, so supporting these with psoriatic arthritis and completely different ones like rheumatoid arthritis and even Crohn’s illness. So it’s a blended bag; a variety of completely different foundations grouped into that one basis. After which additionally the American Most cancers Society and St. Jude’s Kids’s Hospital.
So these are type of my primary teams that I’m attempting to assist. On the similar time, Assist Our Troops is all around the automotive, all six branches of the army on the automotive, stars and stripes are on the automotive.
And likewise, so is EVANNEX’s emblem, and Hey Tire Execs. Signorama Summerville (?) the place I stay is the one which volunteered and did the decal with the celebrities and stripes and the whole lot. Even the man that painted the automotive — he was like “No, I don’t wish to be acknowledged on the automotive. Individuals are gonna know that this isn’t a manufacturing facility paint job.”
It’s not the manufacturing facility silver that Tesla is simply beginning to produce out of Austin. And no person in South Carolina has a silver Mannequin Y. No one, even now. And I’ve searched all of the channels and all of the socials and the whole lot, and I’ve not been capable of finding a silver Mannequin Y in South Carolina — but.
EVANNEX: Wow, that’s fairly cool proudly owning the one one within the state.
C Woody: Yeah, it’s! The automotive speaks for itself, but it surely’s not all people’s cup of tea. It’s a kind of that makes me proud, and folks that care about me and many different folks have been very positively conscious of the automotive. There’s been a number of turning their noses at me.
Some folks nonetheless favor gasoline automobiles, , and that type of factor. There’s gonna be haters all the best way throughout the board, however for somebody to dislike that automotive, it’s like, “Are you even an American?” [Laughs] I don’t perceive why stars and stripes, despite the fact that it’s on a Tesla, would trouble you.
And the Herbie theme, and Batman and Lightning McQueen decals — that was the cool vibe I used to be going for simply to carry extra consideration to it, clearly, however for the precise causes. It wasn’t simply me making a automotive that appears like a rally Herbie Tesla, ? It was a loopy thought, but it surely works, and there’s lots of people that reply very superb to it.
EVANNEX: How did you change into fascinated about Tesla?
C Woody: So I’ve bought a few greatest mates who’re husband and spouse, and so they’ve had their Mannequin Ys since she bought hers in March of ‘21 and he bought his in August of ‘21. I bought mine in August of ‘22. Nevertheless it was simply in hanging out with them and speaking about it [that I became interested.] She was one of many first 500 [FSD] beta testers, out of now some 50,000 I believe there are. And I’m one now, however I’m most likely like quantity 45,000 or one thing [laughs].
However she was one of many first 500, and that’s fairly particular. So she will get all of the updates early, which is neat. And he or she doesn’t like to debate that an excessive amount of as a result of she’s not assuming all of it. She doesn’t prefer to brag an excessive amount of, however she’s completely geeked out on Tesla and SpaceX, and all of it. And I get it — I’m too.
However yeah, it was simply that and driving within the automotive after which getting an opportunity to drive it with my greatest mates. Hers is a Mannequin Y Lengthy Vary and his is a Mannequin Y Efficiency, which is what mine is. She’s bought FSD and all that, however he doesn’t. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless a Mannequin Y Efficiency, and it’s the [Midnight Silver Metallic] colour, which is what I’ve bought.
That is type of a shaggy dog story. So the primary time I drove a Tesla, it was his automotive, and he had solely had it for about 4 days. And I bought a dashing ticket doing 94 in a 55, as a result of I didn’t know find out how to drive it! I imply, I had pushed the automotive for lower than a mile earlier than I used to be doing 94 miles an hour, and I bought pulled over. And I didn’t even know find out how to actually like cease the automotive proper! I used to be on and off the pedal, so the brake lights have been going off.
The officer was like “Are you drunk?” And I’m like “No, I’m not, however that is the primary time I’ve ever pushed a Tesla and I don’t actually know what I’m doing. However I’m attempting.” And he stated, “Effectively I bought you going at 94 miles an hour.’ And I stated, ‘I didn’t know find out how to undo that shortly. I mashed the pedal down and it occurred.” [Laughs]
So the good a part of that story is they really wound up chopping me a break. It was going to be a six-point ticket, and I had no factors. And I informed him I used to be really desirous about getting considered one of these. He goes, “I actually suppose it’s new know-how, and I’m not fairly prepared for it myself, however it’s cool.”
We confirmed him across the automotive a bit bit and he was like “That is good.” And he stated, “So hear, I gotta write you a ticket as a result of I had you on the sprint digicam and all that stuff. However come to court docket, and I’ll lower the factors down to 2 and I’ll cut back the advantageous to love $100.”
So I did — I went to court docket. So he decreased the factors down to 2, after which took a kind of on-line driver security programs to scale back it again all the way down to zero. And my insurance coverage by no means picked up on it, in order that was good. However yeah, that was my first Tesla driving expertise. [Laughs]
C Woody is elevating cash to have the ability to end his journey, cope with ongoing medical prices, and donate to the aforementioned charities.
You may assist his work on Patreon right here, or on Spotfund right here, and you may see his Mannequin Y and comply with alongside along with his adventures on the social channels under.
YouTube / Fb / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon / Spotfund
Initially posted on EVANNEX. Written by Peter McGuthrie.
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