Tesla’s Robo-Taxi Launch Sparks 8.2% Pre-Market Surge as Autonomy Narrative Gains Traction
Tesla shares jumped 8.2% in pre-market trading following the Austin debut of its $4.20-per-ride robo-taxi service, marking a pivotal shift from theoretical autonomy promises to real-world implementation. Social media buzz captured both the promise and growing pains of the rollout, including one viral clip of a navigation error.
Wall Street analysts view this as the opening move in a long-term autonomy play, with Battle Road's Ben Rose drawing baseball analogies about early innings. The launch positions Tesla against Alphabet's Waymo, which currently completes 250,000 weekly rides generating $260 million annually - a benchmark Tesla now chases with its first-mover advantage in scalable EV-based autonomy.