Drive My Car

Innovative car-sharing program takes Austin for an exclusive test drive

Want to share a car with your friends? Now you can. Photo by Kevin McCauley

Transportation and mobility issues are a major concern across Austin, but one company is stepping in with an interesting solution. An innovative new program from Ford takes car-sharing to a new level, allowing Austinites to share the lease on a new vehicle.

Available only in Austin, Ford Credit Link allows a group of three to six Texas residents to co-sign on a two-year lease. The program, which launched in February, is "aimed at consumers who don't need a vehicle all the time but would still like access to their own set of wheels."

Target users include co-workers, roommates, and large families.

Austin was the obvious choice for a testing ground. "Austin has the right mix of demographics and transportation habits for this pilot," said Roby Robarge, Ford Credit's future product development manager, in a release.

"Central Texans embrace the sharing economy and new technologies. We think there's a good chance that tech-savvy students, neighborhood groups, and co-workers will take advantage of this one-of-a-kind program."

Sharing a car among several people may sound like a daunting project, but Ford is providing the tools to make the job easier. A mobile app will link to a plug-in device on the vehicle so lease members can track and share information regarding schedules, payments, and maintenance.

The Ford Credit Link pilot program is available at three area dealerships: Covert Ford, Leif Johnson Ford, and Maxwell Ford.

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State of innovation

Texas improves ranking on annual report of most innovative states

Texas network, constellation style us state map.

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Texas ranks above average — but outside the top 10 — in a new index that ranks the most innovative states.

To come up with its Most and Least Innovative States ranking, personal finance website WalletHub looked at 25 key indicators of innovation for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These include a state’s share of STEM professionals, research and development spending per capita, and the proliferation of tech companies.

With an innovation score of 48.96 out of 100, Texas lands at No. 13 on the list. The District of Columbia stands atop the list, with an innovation score of 69.79, followed by Massachusetts, California, Colorado, and Washington.

Texas has steadily inched up the list — the state was No. 14 on the list in 2024 and has climbed up one spot each year since 2021.

Two components make up each state’s score: human capital and “innovation environment.” Texas ranks 14th in the human capital category and 13th in the innovation environment category.

“The most innovative states are especially attractive to people who have majored in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as they offer abundant career opportunities and investment dollars, both for jobs at existing companies and for startups,” says WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “These states also instill young students with the skills they need to succeed in the current workforce, skills which are useful whether or not they pursue a STEM career.”

Despite not placing in the top 10 of the WalletHub index, Texas continues to produce thousands of jobs.

Citing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas added the most nonfarm jobs in January (27,900) of any state and the most nonfarm jobs from January 2024 to January 2025 (187,700).

“Texas is America’s jobs engine, adding more new jobs in the last year than any other state,” Abbot said in a news release. “Our skilled and growing workforce and our business-friendly climate attract job-creating businesses in diverse industries from across the country and around the world.”

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This story originally appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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