Tesla IncCybercab launch failed to impress with no deployment timelines, production ramp, or regulatory clearance detail, and only 45 vehicles registered in Texas.
Tesla's long-awaited Cybercab launch in Austin on September 3 failed to impress Wall Street, leaving Alphabet's Waymo as the clear robotaxi leader. The invitation-only event was not livestreamed and CEO Elon Musk was absent, with the company's main public update a 51-second video on X of the two-seat, steering-wheel-free vehicle; shares rose roughly 5% during the session to near $376 before plunging as much as 6% on September 4 as investors found little detail on deployment timelines, production ramp, or regulatory clearance. Only 45 Cybercabs were registered in Texas, and Tesla did not seek an NHTSA exemption before deployment, instead self-certifying the vehicle as compliant with federal safety standards, prompting NHTSA to open an audit into that certification and order Tesla to provide more information on the basis for its compliance claims. Waymo, by contrast, operates more than 4,000 autonomous vehicles across its U.S. fleet and more than 500,000 fully autonomous rides per week, an operational track record Tesla is still chasing. Analysts are divided, with Future Fund's Gary Black calling the debut largely a bust while Deepwater Asset Management's Gene Munster predicted Tesla will add approximately 300 Cybercabs in Austin over the next month, and with robotaxi success ascribed up to half of Tesla's total valuation, the market's verdict on Cybercab's credibility carries outsized weight.
Tesla IncCybercab launch failed to impress with no deployment timelines, production ramp, or regulatory clearance detail, and only 45 vehicles registered in Texas.
Alphabet Inc Class CWaymo is described as the clear robotaxi leader with 4,000+ vehicles and 500,000+ weekly rides while Tesla's Cybercab launch underwhelms.