Finding the new car you want is probably not going that great right now. It can be even worse for EVs. The new car market is in dire straits with the continued supply shortage and increased demand. But now, another thing is constricting the flow of new electric cars, a new company called “Autonomy,” of all things. Unlike the supply chain, this log jamb isn’t a fluke; it’s driven by greed and wealth. 

Why are electric cars hard to get right now? 

Carmakers are finally putting a lot of time and energy into designing and building cool EVs. The Kia EV6 GT Line, Ford Lightning, and the electric Meyers Manx only barely scratch the surface of what’s to come on the cool EV front. However, many are finding that actually getting a chance to buy one of these cool new EVs isn’t easy. The chip shortage tends to shoulder the blame for all car-related delays or inventory shortages, but there is another force at work, a company called Autonomous. 

This new company is an EV subscription app. Gear Patrol points out that while the name might feel like an autonomous car company, the name is actually meant to give customers autonomy over EV purchases. Gear Patrol reports that Autonomy lets you subscribe to one of its EVs with no long-term commitment rather than buy or lease one. Current offerings are limited to the Tesla Model 3 (from $490 per month) and Model Y (from $690 per month). But the company is preparing to expand those offerings in a big way. 

Calling it “Autonomy” feels a little ironic

As we mentioned, there aren’t enough new cars to go around right now. This company is one of the reasons for this. Isn’t it a bit ironic that a company called “Autonomy,” geared toward providing “autonomy” for folks who want to drive EVs but not buy them, is just making it hard for people who actually know that they want to own an EV, find one? 

This is our modern subscription-based world coming to bite us. We are being marketed “freedom” by not being allowed to buy our own cars. Granted, Autonomy isn’t stopping people from buying cars directly, but according to Electrek, the new company ordered 22,790 units across 46 different models and 17 manufacturers. This order is expected to be filled by the end of 2023. With production being what it is, it is hard to see how an order this big won’t eat the industry whole until it’s fulfilled. And if you don’t think this order will take precedence, the total cost of the massive EV order is estimated to be $1.2 billion. 

What models did Autonomy buy? 

The current fleet is certainly Tesla heavy, as is the new order, with 8,300 Tesla vehicles. However, there are also large orders from General Motors (3,400), Volkswagen (2,200), Ford (1,800), Hyundai (1,640), Kia (1,500), and Rivian (1,000). Autonomy really covered the entirety of the market with smaller orders with startups like VinFast (400), Canoo (100), and Fisker (100) that haven’t started producing cars yet. 

How much will this affect the market? 

Gear Patrol says that Americans bought over 400,000 EVs last year. The 22,000+ EVs recently ordered isn’t a massive percentage of last year’s numbers, but with current production numbers, 20,000 cars is an enormous number. Autonomous like to remind customers that while this order might screw up your car’s timeline, these cars aren’t off the market; they are just owned by Autonomous, who is more than happy to charge you to take them out. Autonomy, huh?