--- title: "Tesla’s New Insurance Business Had 24 Hours of Hell" description: "Tesla had a hell of a time getting its new insurance business in California off the ground mere hours after launch." date: "2019-08-30" modified: "2019-08-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/teslas-insurance-rough-start" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "car insurance" - "electric cars" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla’s New Insurance Business Had 24 Hours of Hell ![Tesla had a hell of a time getting its new insurance business in California off the ground mere hours after launch.]() *\Image: Tesla/Victor Tangermann\* ## Adding Insult to Insurance Tesla [launched]() its new insurance scheme on Thursday afternoon, allowing customers in California to get their car insurance directly through the electric car manufacturer. But the company had a hell of a time getting the new endeavor off the ground. As [*The Verge* reports](), the car maker was battered with customers requesting rate quotes. Mere hours after it launched, the rate quotes website went down, only to go live again many hours later. According to intel acquired by *The Verge*, Tesla found plenty of "bugs" on its website, causing the early shutdown. Minutes after [tweeting]() that it was updating the new insurance site Thursday evening, the company [admitted]() it was still running an "algorithm update." ## Angry Mobs Needless to say, it was too little, too late: angry mobs started gathering in the Tesla [subreddit](). In addition, the Tesla forums started filling up with comments as well from people who [claimed]() they received rate quotes that were far higher than what they were already paying. That goes against Tesla's claim that insurance rates would end up being a substantial [30 percent]() lower than other insurers. “This pricing reflects the benefits of Tesla’s active safety and advanced driver assistance features that come standard on all new Tesla vehicles,” the company wrote in a [blog post]() on Wednesday. **READ MORE:** [Tesla launched a car insurance product, then spent the next 24 hours fixing it]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on Tesla insurance:** *[Tesla Just Launched a Car Insurance Program]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()