Bloomberg – Tesla Robotaxi Revenue Is Likely Years Away, JPMorgan Warns
See original article by Craig Trudell at Bloomberg
- Analyst bases his expectation on meeting with IR director
- CEO Elon Musk’s self-driving predictions haven’t panned out
Tesla Inc. investors expecting the carmaker to build a business around robotaxis in short order are likely to be disappointed, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts wrote in a report.
“We expect Tesla to show a robotaxi concept on Aug. 8 and perhaps an accompanying app, and to reveal more about its expected business model,” JPMorgan’s Ryan Brinkman said in the note to clients Tuesday. “But we do not expect material revenue generation likely for years to come.”
This expectation is based in part on the analyst’s recent meeting with Tesla’s director of investor relations, Brinkman wrote. The IR executive suggested that Tesla will build robotaxis off the next-generation vehicle platform that won’t launch until the company is much closer to fully utilizing its existing production capacity, which may take several years.
Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has reoriented Tesla around robotaxis after months of steep price cuts failed to buoy sales of its electric vehicles. While the CEO has teased the concept of a shared fleet of autonomous cars for at least eight years, the company has yet to stand up much of the infrastructure it would need for such a service, nor has it secured regulatory approval to test driverless vehicles on public roads.
Tesla’s next wave of growth will be led by the introduction of lower-cost models that are expected to roll out in force by 2025, the company’s IR team told Brinkman. These vehicles will utilize existing platforms and assembly lines instead of the next-generation platform that may not be ready to launch until around 2027.
Brinkman has the equivalent of a sell rating on Tesla’s stock with a $115 price target. The shares fell as much as 3.5% as of 11:20 a.m. Tuesday in New York and have slumped 32% this year.
See original article by Craig Trudell at Bloomberg
