Autonomy debuted its electric vehicle subscription service in Austin, Texas, following its successful launch in California earlier in 2022 and its recent expansion into Florida and Washington. Following California and Florida, Texas is ranked third in EV registrations.
With almost 30,000 new EVs on the road between 2020 and 2021, Autonomy noted that the growth and natural demand makes Texas, “a compelling state for Autonomy to expand operations into.”
Scott Painter, founder, and CEO of Autonomy, gave a press statement emphasizing the growth of EVs in Texas.
“The EV adoption rate in Texas signals to us that there’s even more demand for EVs and more of a need for alternative ways to access one,” he said. “Today, Texas has more than 156,000 EVs on the road, with 22,122 in Travis County alone — the highest-ranking EV county in Texas. These numbers are encouraging, and we’re excited for Autonomy service to help boost EV adoption in the second-most-populous state in the country and increase EV adoption statewide.”
Austin has over 1,300 public EV chargers, with more than 500 new ones added within the last 90 days. Autonomy highlighted the city’s unique Austin Energy Plug-in EVerywhere network subscription plan that offers unlimited charging for $4.17 per month at any of its over 1,000 level 2 charging stations.
During a call with Teslarati on Wednesday, Scott Painter shared the types of EVs it will offer in Austin, along with a few additional details.
“Our fleet is predominantly Tesla Model 3s, and we have a couple of Modely Ys. Right now, we’ve got just under 2,000 cars in total in the fleet, and I think it’s about 100 Model Ys.”
“In the first quarter, we’re going to be adding VinFast, as well as Mercedes and Polestar. Those three brands are going to become part of the lineup in all of our markets.”
Scott added that he and the team at Autonomy were excited about Austin, specifically.
“Austin has a much bigger rate of EV registration rateably than everywhere else in Texas. Everywhere else in the country is sort of at about one or two percent that people are getting EVs. In Austin, it’s almost 10%.”
He added that it’s about 20% in California, but Austin and Miami are the top two cities in terms of EV registrations as a rateable number relative to non-electric vehicles.
We asked if Tesla’s move to Austin played any role in Autonomy’s decision to launch in Austin. Scott pointed out that although it did not, Tesla’s move probably played a key role in Austin’s EV registrations going up.
“Our decision was purely based on the evidence of EV registrations. I’m sure that EV registrations in Austin were influenced by Tesla’s decision to headquarter there. I think Austin feels like it owns Elon now, so, people who live in Austin feel like they should be driving the local car,” he said.
“But we’re simply making decisions based on really rational evidence that says this is the time to go to Austin.”
Scott emphasized the affordability of driving an EV versus a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle.
“I think that we could have never anticipated the kind of tailwinds that we’re seeing right now for going electric. Certainly, when gas prices go above four or five dollars a gallon, it’s undeniable. You should be driving an electric car.”
Scott noted that one could drive the same amount of miles for around one-eighth the price.
“The average American currently still gets 20 miles to the gallon and drives 1,000 miles per month. That means they’re putting $4,000+ per year into their car versus $800 per year for the same miles even in a state like California where we pay almost 20 cents a kWh for electricity.”
He also pointed out that Autonomy fills in the gaps where the cost of buying a new car, especially an EV, is becoming “unreachable” for many Americans. He also noted that many people are holding off on buying an EV because of the Inflation Reduction Act and tax credits.
“Everyone sort of thinks that, ‘I’ll just wait until the tax credit is there.’ Well, to qualify for the tax credit, you have to make a certain amount of money, and you have to buy a car that has a certain amount of all American-made products in it. So Tesla would normally fully qualify, but some of these new entrants don’t.”
Scott explained that as a fleet operator, Autonomy qualifies for all of it and is able to pass along those savings.
Disclosure: Johnna is a $TSLA shareholder and believes in Tesla’s mission.
Your feedback is welcome. If you have any comments or concerns or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.
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Tesla is dominating in the United Kingdom so far through 2025, and with about two weeks left in the year, the Model Y and Model 3 are leading the way.
The Model Y and Model 3 are the two best-selling electric vehicles in the United Kingdom, which is comprised of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and it’s not particularly close.
According to data gathered by EU-EVs, the Model Y is sitting at 18,890 units for the year, while the Model 3 is slightly behind with 16,361 sales for the year so far.
The next best-selling EV is the Audi Q4 e-tron at 10,287 units, lagging significantly behind but ahead of other models like the BMW i4 and the Audi Q6 e-tron.
GOOD NEWS 🇬🇧 Tesla is absolutely crushing the UK electric vehicle market in 2025 💥
The numbers are in, and the dominance is clear. With an impressive amount of 42,270 vehicles delivered year-to-date, the brand now commands a solid 9.6% market share of the total auto market 🆒… pic.twitter.com/dkiGX9kzd0
— Ming (@tslaming) December 18, 2025
The Model Y has tasted significant success in the global market, but it has dominated in large markets like Europe and the United States.
For years, it’s been a car that has fit the bill of exactly what consumers need: a perfect combination of luxury, space, and sustainability.
Both vehicles are going to see decreases in sales compared to 2024; the Model Y was the best-selling car last year, but it sold 32,610 units in the UK. Meanwhile, the Model 3 had reached 17,272 units, which will keep it right on par with last year.
Tesla sold 50,090 units in the market last year, and it’s about 8,000 units shy of last year’s pace. It also had a stronger market share last year with 13.2 percent of the sales in the market. With two weeks left in 2025, Tesla has a 9.6 percent market share, leading Volkswagen with 8 percent.
The company likely felt some impact from CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration and, more specifically, his role with DOGE. However, it is worth mentioning that some months saw stronger consumer demand than others. For example, sales were up over 20 percent in February. A 14 percent increase followed this in June.
News
Tesla Insurance officially expands to new U.S. state
Tesla’s in-house Insurance program first launched back in late 2019, offering a new way to insure the vehicles that was potentially less expensive and could alleviate a lot of the issues people had with claims, as the company could assess and repair the damage itself.
Tesla Insurance has officially expanded to a new U.S. state, its thirteenth since its launch in 2019.
Tesla has confirmed that its in-house Insurance program has officially made its way to Florida, just two months after the company filed to update its Private Passenger Auto program in the state. It had tried to offer its insurance program to drivers in the state back in 2022, but its launch did not happen.
Instead, Tesla refiled the paperwork back in mid-October, which essentially was the move toward initiating the offering this month.
BREAKING: Tesla Insurance has just officially launched in Florida.
This is the first new state to receive @Tesla Insurance in more than 3 years. In total, Tesla insurance is now available in 13 U.S. states (map in thread below of all the states).
Tesla Insurance in Florida uses… pic.twitter.com/bDwh1IV6gD
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) December 17, 2025
Tesla’s in-house Insurance program first launched back in late 2019, offering a new way to insure the vehicles that was potentially less expensive and could alleviate a lot of the issues people had with claims, as the company could assess and repair the damage itself.
It has expanded to new states since 2019, but Florida presents a particularly interesting challenge for Tesla, as the company’s entry into the state is particularly noteworthy given its unique insurance landscape, characterized by high premiums due to frequent natural disasters, dense traffic, and a no-fault system.
Annual average premiums for Florida drivers hover around $4,000 per year, well above the national average. Tesla’s insurance program could disrupt this, especially for EV enthusiasts. The state’s growing EV adoption, fueled by incentives and infrastructure development, aligns perfectly with Tesla’s ecosystem.
Moreover, there are more ways to have cars repaired, and features like comprehensive coverage for battery damage and roadside assistance tailored to EVs address those common painpoints that owners have.
However, there are some challenges that still remain. Florida’s susceptibility to hurricanes raises questions about how Tesla will handle claims during disasters.
Looking ahead, Tesla’s expansion of its insurance program signals the company’s ambition to continue vertically integrating its services, including coverage of its vehicles. Reducing dependency on third-party insurers only makes things simpler for the company’s automotive division, as well as for its customers.
News
Tesla Full Self-Driving gets sparkling review from South Korean politician
“Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasn’t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about.”
Tesla Full Self-Driving got its first sparkling review from South Korean politician Lee So-young, a member of the country’s National Assembly, earlier this week.
Lee is a member of the Strategy and Finance Committee in South Korea and is a proponent of sustainable technologies and their applications in both residential and commercial settings. For the first time, Lee was able to utilize Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology as it launched in the country in late November.
Her thoughts on the suite were complimentary to the suite, stating that “it drives just as well as most people do,” and that “it already feels like a completed technology.”
드디어 오늘, 서울에서 테슬라 FSD 체험 했습니다.
JiDal Papa님의 모델S 협찬에 힘입어^^ 파파님 정말 감사합니다.
국회 -> 망원시장 -> 홍익대 -> 국회 복귀 코스였고요.
이미 무인 로보택시를 타봐서 그런지 신기함은
덜했지만, 웬만한 사람만큼 운전을 잘하네요.이미 완성된 기술이라고… pic.twitter.com/8pAidHBpRG
— 이소영 국회의원 (Soyoung Lee) (@im_soyounglee) December 17, 2025
Her translated post says:
“Finally, today I got to experience Tesla FSD in Seoul. Thanks to the Model S sponsored by JiDal Papa^^, I’m truly grateful to Papa. The route was from the National Assembly -> Mangwon Market -> Hongik University -> back to the National Assembly. Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasn’t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about. Once it actually spreads into widespread use, I feel like our daily lives are going to change a lot. Even I, with my license gathering dust in a drawer, don’t see much reason to learn to drive a manual anymore.”
Tesla Full Self-Driving officially landed in South Korea in late November, with the initial launch being one of Tesla’s most recent, v14.1.4.
It marked the seventh country in which Tesla was able to enable the driver assistance suite, following the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.
It is important to see politicians and figures in power try new technologies, especially ones that are widely popular in other regions of the world and could potentially revolutionize how people travel globally.
Tesla dominates in the UK with Model Y and Model 3 leading the way
Tesla Insurance officially expands to new U.S. state
