The Tesla neighborhood is a close-knit community, and plenty of fans have taken to documenting their experiences with the electrical autos both for enjoyable, to unfold sustainability consciousness, and even to lift 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 highway journey within the U.S. Although, he’s presently 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 any case. With the rest of his journey on hiatus as a consequence of some ongoing medical issues, C Woody and his Tesla Mannequin Y need to increase funds to proceed the journey, handle some medical prices, and provides to a handful of charities.
EVANNEX lately hopped on the telephone with C Woody to speak concerning 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 possibly can learn our interview with him beneath.
EVANNEX: Inform me somewhat bit about your journey. Did you may have a particular route you’re planning on taking or something?
C Woody: I truly needed to come again to Charleston for a pair days for some medical stuff. However I’ve obtained two autoimmune ailments, I’ve obtained psoriatic arthritis and I’ve obtained psoriasis. And the biologic treatment I take known as Humira, you’ve most likely seen it marketed on TV and whatnot. It precipitated me to have acute pancreatitis again in December, and I spent six days within the hospital.
After that’s sort of once I actually once I put the hardcore press on getting the automotive completed and getting it able to trip. There have been sure components I used to be ready on and the timing with UPS and FedEx delays, however I wished everybody who was sponsoring me to have the illustration they deserved, particularly EVANNEX and the opposite people that did the decal work on the automotive, and the parents that did the tire and wheel balancing.
However the intentioned route was right 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 truly was touring. Then I met with one other man, Reel Deal EV, his title is Chad Reel, and he’s in Tampa, Florida.
And he principally began his enterprise and web site by principally simply looking for out learn how to supply the components he wanted to repair his personal automobiles. The primary one was a P85 Mannequin S and he wound up discovering the components by way of a provider in China to repair his display screen. One thing was occurring along with his display screen after which he truly discovered learn how to do it himself.
So he began sourcing these components for different individuals like mates and clients and gained clients. It was only a neat story, ? And he grabbed onto my story proper afterward as properly, so I wished to help him additionally.
After which we truly had a few transport SNAFUs. [EVANNEX] was imagined to be sending some carry springs for my automotive to lift it up somewhat bit, and apparently UPS tried to ship them to my house complicated and couldn’t be within the constructing as a result of they needed to have a code however it was on a Sunday and the workplace was closed.
In order that first spherical truly ended up getting shipped again to the provider in Ohio. That they had them shipped once more and so they shipped final Friday. Properly, they had been imagined 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 couple 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 obtained 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, however it additionally prompted me to do one thing completely different. To do one thing like this, that perhaps can profit different individuals, 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 every one of this was sort of the rationale for you planning this journey?
C Woody: Sure. That was the principle motive. However the charities are charities I’ve donated to for years. That was a simple factor, I imply I’ve obtained them in my tax data already. The charity half was the straightforward thought, like “I can carry consciousness and have them pasted everywhere in 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 advised the individuals 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 “become profitable,” I’m simply attempting to help 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 obtained 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 combined bag; quite a lot of completely different foundations grouped into that one basis. After which additionally the American Most cancers Society and St. Jude’s Youngsters’s Hospital.
So these are sort of my major teams that I’m attempting to help. On the identical time, Assist Our Troops is everywhere in the automotive, all six branches of the navy on the automotive, stars and stripes are on the automotive.
And likewise, so is EVANNEX’s emblem, and Hey Tire Professionals. Signorama Summerville (?) the place I reside is the one which volunteered and did the decal with the celebs and stripes and all the pieces. Even the man that painted the automotive — he was like “No, I don’t wish to be acknowledged on the automotive. Persons 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 one 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 all the pieces, 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, however it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a type of that makes me proud, and folks that care about me and many different individuals have been very positively aware of the automotive. There’s been a couple of turning their noses at me.
Some individuals nonetheless want fuel automobiles, , and that sort 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, though it’s on a Tesla, would hassle 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 appropriate causes. It wasn’t simply me making a automotive that appears like a rally Herbie Tesla, ? It was a loopy thought, however it works, and there’s lots of people that reply very superb to it.
EVANNEX: How did you develop into curious about Tesla?
C Woody: So I’ve obtained a few finest mates who’re husband and spouse, and so they’ve had their Mannequin Ys since she obtained hers in March of ‘21 and he obtained his in August of ‘21. I obtained 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 wish 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 finest mates. Hers is a Mannequin Y Lengthy Vary and his is a Mannequin Y Efficiency, which is what mine is. She’s obtained FSD and all that, however he doesn’t. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless a Mannequin Y Efficiency, and it’s the [Midnight Silver Metallic] coloration, which is what I’ve obtained.
That is sort of a joke. So the primary time I drove a Tesla, it was his automotive, and he had solely had it for about 4 days. And I obtained a dashing ticket doing 94 in a 55, as a result of I didn’t know learn 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 obtained pulled over. And I didn’t even know learn how to actually like cease the automotive proper! I used to be on and off the pedal, so the brake lights had 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 mentioned, “Properly I obtained you going at 94 miles an hour.’ And I mentioned, ‘I didn’t know learn 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 slicing me a break. It was going to be a six-point ticket, and I had no factors. And I advised him I used to be truly interested by 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 somewhat bit and he was like “That is good.” And he mentioned, “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 nice to love $100.”
So I did — I went to court docket. So he decreased the factors down to 2, after which took a type of on-line driver security programs to cut back it again right 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, take care of ongoing medical prices, and donate to the aforementioned charities.
You possibly can help 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 beneath.
YouTube / Fb / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon / Spotfund
Initially posted on EVANNEX. Written by Peter McGuthrie.
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