Tesla Finally Debuts Robotaxi In Texas — And Its Loudest Bull On Wall Street Says A 'Golden Age' Has Begun

Tesla Inc. (TSLA) may dominate headlines this week after launching its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas — a milestone Wedbush Securities hailed as the beginning of a "golden age."

The pilot program, live as of Sunday, offers rides to select users within a limited geofenced area in Austin. The debut rides were priced at $4.20 and included a front-seat "safety monitor" person who does not interact with the fully autonomous car.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has bet big on autonomy, AI, and robotics — and this rollout marks the company's first major step in that direction. Influencers with early access posted live reactions online, generating a wave of attention ahead of Monday's trading.

In a Sunday note titled "Robotaxi Launch; Very Impressive Ride Experience in Austin; Golden Age Begins," Wedbush analysts led by Dan Ives reiterated their 'Outperform' rating and $500 price target on Tesla — the highest among prominent Wall Street analysts.

"Going into it, we expected to be impressed. Walking away, all there is to say is that this is the future," the note said.

Each 15-minute ride navigated real-world road challenges — narrow streets, pedestrians, traffic cones, and even dirt trails — with no safety issues or erratic behavior. The analysts described the experience as "comfortable, safe, and personalized," aided by in-car touchscreen panels that synced with users' Tesla accounts.

Wedbush highlighted a standout moment when the Robotaxi drove up a narrow hill with cars parked on both sides, oncoming traffic, and people unexpectedly opening car doors. "The Robotaxi masterfully maneuvered with patience and safety among this chaos," they wrote.

"Today's successful Robotaxi launch is really just the beginning of the Tesla AI story," Wedbush added, pointing to future upgrades like Grok AI integration and deeper personalization.

On Stocktwits, Tesla's 24-hour message volume surged nearly 200% on Sunday, signaling major retail interest. Still, sentiment remained 'bearish,' reflecting lingering caution in a volatile macro backdrop.

"Robotaxi is being well received. The person in the car is NOT in the driver seat… Looks great," said one bullish user.

"Why people acting like this some massive revolution. Waymo been out for how long? And they don't need a babysitter in the front seat," said a bearish watcher.

Wall Street will now watch how the broader market digests Tesla's autonomous push, especially as geopolitical risks rise amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, which has drawn U.S. involvement.

Tesla shares trade at a 6.4% premium to the average analyst target of $301.36, per Koyfin. Still, the stock remains down more than 15% year-to-date.

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