The California-based company, Autonomy, was launched with an ambitious, but important goal in mind: make electric vehicles more accessible for the masses. Founded in 2020, the company promised to make driving an EV fast, easy, and affordable by empowering customers to get behind the wheel of a Tesla Model 3 or Y without the long-term commitment of a traditional loan or lease. How? By creating an EV subscription service – a unique Car-as-a-Service (CaaS) model. Capitalizing on industry momentum, Autonomy announced expansion plans this week that include a US$1.2 billion fleet order for 45 EV models.
The fleet order will reportedly total 23,000 vehicles, including 45 EV models from 17 automakers. An order of this size is monumental; in fact, it represents 1.2 per cent of the United State’s projected EV production through to the end of 2023. In a press release detailing the expansion, Autonomy noted that the order was specifically designed to fit into the forecast production envelopes of each automaker.
Joining Tesla in the ranks of Autonomy automaker partners will be BMW, Canoo, Fisker, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Lucid, Mercedes-Benz, Polestar, Rivian, Stellantis, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, VinFast, Volvo, and Volkswagen. The order, which represents a significant MSRP vehicle price range of US$26,595 to US$122,440, is expected to be delivered in the next six to 18 months. The company also targeted vehicles with a minimum 250 miles of range, but reportedly made some exceptions.
This news is especially exciting when we consider that some of the automakers listed in the order, including Canoo and VinFast, haven’t actually delivered any vehicles in the U.S. yet. For now, Autonomy remains a California-only offering.
