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Hello EVeryone,
We are reaching out to the community to support our friend, Carson, a prominent voice in the EV community who has spent the last decade pioneering the TeslaVanLife lifestyle. Carson has lived full-time out of his vehicle for nearly 10 years, making it his true home.
Tragically, a severe accident during his latest cross-country road trip has left him injured, stranded in Iowa, and facing the devastating possibility of losing his Tesla Home permanently.
While his Tesla was driving through Iowa on FSD, a Deer jumped into his Tesla. The impact was massive, causing his airbags to deploy and leaving Carson with a fractured foot. Incredibly, this was actually the second time he was hit on this road trip, following a separate, completely not-at-fault accident where he was rear ended while on FSD causing his rear cargo hitch to be destroyed. So his luck has not been great on this Road Trip.
Right now, Carson is stranded out of state, dealing with physical pain, and caught in an absolute logistical nightmare. He is currently navigating a brutal daily loop of going back and forth with insurance companies, getting the car towed to multiple different specialized service centers to find a solution, and fighting to coordinate a Rental Tesla to stay in, which his insurance will only partially reimburse him for—all while trying to heal and get around on a fractured foot.
But as exhausting as the physical and administrative hurdles are, they don't compare to the reality of what is at stake.
Why This Isn’t Just a Car—It’s Carson's Home
For almost 10 years, this Tesla has been Carson's entire life. It isn’t just a vehicle or a means of transportation to him—it is his Tesla Home. It is the foundation of his daily life, his shelter, and his livelihood.
Because of the airbag deployment and the extent of the front-end damage, there is a very deep, real fear that the insurance company is going to label the vehicle a total loss.
What’s at Stake: Free Supercharging for Life
If insurance totals the car, buying a replacement model isn't a viable option. Carson's specific Tesla is grandfathered into Free Supercharging for Life.
This perk is a relic of the past and is completely unavailable on new Teslas today. This single feature is what makes his entire lifestyle financially and practically sustainable. It provides:
- Free, continuous climate control (heat and A/C) to safely live in the vehicle year-round.
- The ability to travel and embark on the long-distance road trips that define his journey.
Without this specific vehicle, Carson's entire way of living is completely compromised. He is determined not to give up on this car without a fight. Even if insurance insists on totaling it out, Carson is prepared to do everything humanly possible to retain the vehicle, buy it back, and fund the extensive repairs himself to save his home and his lifetime charging perk.
About Carson:
To understand why saving this vehicle is so critical, you have to understand who Carson is to the electric vehicle community. He has dedicated the last decade of his life to advancing EV adoption, educating the public, and building the very communities that bring owners together. A US Army Veteran and Tesla Employee Veteran, the latter of which he was Laid off from Twice! Carson still went on to spend nearly eight years in leadership for the official Tesla Owners Club network across both Tesla Owners New York State and Tesla Owners Florida, currently serving as a Director and the Treasurer for Tesla Owners Florida (TOFL) Club. Over the years, he has championed the movement by helping organize more than 150 community EV events. Carson's mission has always been about making sustainable transportation practically accessible to everyone; he spent nearly four years at Lyft Corporate helping Lyft Drivers transition into electric vehicles and has dedicated the last three years to helping everyday buyers secure customized EV loans through his work at Tenet EV Finance. Carson has spent a decade building up the EV community and helping thousands of others get on the road—now, it's our turn to rally around him.
How Your Support Helps:
Navigating this from a Rental Tesla in Iowa with a fractured foot is incredibly challenging, and the expenses are mounting rapidly. The funds raised through this campaign will go directly toward helping Carson with:
- Vehicle Recovery & Retention: Assisting with insurance buy-back fees if they insist on writing the car off as a total loss.
- Out-of-Pocket Repair Costs: Covering specialized structural and mechanical repairs to bring his Tesla Home back to a safe, drivable condition.
- Extended Towing & Storage: Managing the high costs of transporting the vehicle between specialized EV collision centers.
- Emergency Living & Medical Expenses: Covering unexpected lodging, rental car extensions, and medical needs while he is stranded out of state and unable to fully walk.
Any amount you can contribute—or even just sharing this link with the Tesla, EV, and road-trip communities—means the world. Let’s help Carson save his Tesla Home and get him back on the road!