Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) jumped nearly 10% on Monday following the successful launch of its autonomous robotaxi service in Austin, Texas on Sunday. CEO Elon Musk announced that the service began operations with customers paying a flat fee of $4.20, marking a significant milestone in Tesla’s autonomous driving ambitions.

The launch puts Tesla in direct competition with Alphabet-backed Waymo (NASDAQ: GOOG), which already operates robotaxis in several cities across the United States.

Tesla Launches Robotaxi in Austin, Limited to Select Tesla Users

Tesla initiated its robotaxi service with 10-20 Model Y SUVs operating in a geofenced area of Austin, featuring safety teleoperators and Tesla employees who can intervene if necessary. The launch was limited to select invited Tesla users, with numerous riders on social media reporting successful trips, including one user who claimed to complete 11 separate rides without issues.

The vehicles are emblazoned with “Robotaxi” graphics and offer personalized features like Tesla account synchronization for streaming apps including Netflix, Spotify, and Disney+.

The robotaxi service represents a foundational step in Tesla’s autonomous vehicle strategy, with Wedbush analyst Dan Ives describing the experience as “comfortable, safe, and personalized” after taking two 15-minute test rides.

Ives particularly noted the vehicle’s ability to “masterfully maneuver with patience and safety” through challenging scenarios, including narrow roads with oncoming traffic and parked cars. The analyst maintains an outperform rating with a $500 price target, calling the launch “foundational” for Tesla’s future robotaxi ambitions.

However, scaling challenges remain significant, as competing with industry leader Waymo would require thousands of vehicles operating without safety operators, plus the infrastructure to clean and service the fleet. Barclays analyst Dan Levy cautioned against overoptimism, emphasizing that the path to scaling will be long and challenging, maintaining an equal weight rating with a $275 price target.

Tesla Shares Gain Over 10%

Tesla shares were trading at $357.43 at the time of writing, gaining $35.27 or 10.95% in Monday trading, significantly outperforming the broader market. The stock opened at $327.52 and reached an intraday high of $357.47, with trading volume of 93.4 million shares compared to the average volume of 125.9 million. Year-to-date, Tesla stock remains down 11.49% despite today’s surge, while over the past year the stock has gained an impressive 95.31%.

The company’s market capitalization now stands at $1.151 trillion, with current valuation metrics showing a trailing P/E ratio of 205.42 and a forward P/E of 166.67. Tesla’s financial fundamentals include revenue of $95.72 billion over the trailing twelve months, with a profit margin of 6.38% and diluted earnings per share of $1.74. The company maintains a strong balance sheet with $37 billion in total cash and relatively low debt-to-equity ratio of 17.41%.

Wall Street analysts remain divided on Tesla’s prospects, with price targets ranging from a low of $115 to a high of $500, averaging $301.97. The robotaxi launch has reinforced bullish sentiment among Tesla supporters, while skeptics continue to question the company’s ability to scale autonomous operations safely and profitably against established competitors like Waymo, which recently reached 10 million trips.

Disclaimer: The author does not hold or have a position in any securities discussed in the article. All stock prices were quoted at the time of writing.

About the author

Tim Fries is the cofounder of The Tokenist. He has a B. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Tim served as a Senior Associate on the investment team at RW Baird’s US Private Equity division, and is also the co-founder of Protective Technologies Capital, an investment firm specializing in sensing, protection and control solutions.