Tesla Robotaxi Charges Ahead as Musk-Trump Drama Fades—Wall Street Breathes (and Bets)

Elon's autonomous taxi play steals the spotlight—just as the media circus around his political bromance winds down. Analyst Dan Ives calls it a 'make-or-break moment' for Tesla's stock.

No more distractions: With Trump-Musk headlines cooling, investors finally focus on the tech—not the theatrics. Robotaxis could either turbocharge Tesla's valuation or leave it stranded at the side of the road.

Bonus cynicism: If this fails, there's always another crypto pump to bail out the balance sheet.

Confident Investing Starts Here:

• Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions
• Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter

Tesla’s much-anticipated robotaxi service is reportedly scheduled to debut in Austin, Texas, on June 12. However, the company has not yet officially confirmed the launch date.

Ives Stands Firm on Tesla’s Autonomous Vision

Ives noted that the Musk-Trump feud comes at a bad time, clashing with Tesla’s much-awaited robotaxi launch. Still, Wedbush is confident Tesla will bring the service to 20 to 25 cities in the next year, despite the political noise.

Although a full reconciliation seems unlikely, Ives observed that both parties appear to be gradually moving past the dispute. This may ease investor anxiety about possible political obstacles to Tesla’s autonomous vehicle strategy. Ultimately, he believes that Trump needs Musk to stay aligned with the Republican base, and Musk needs Trump to help secure a federal framework for autonomous driving.

Furthermore, Ives highlighted Tesla’s robotaxi push as a key to Musk’s big goal of an AI-led future. He sees it as a turning point for the company. Most of Tesla’s future value, he believes, depends on how well this plan works. Ives estimates the AI and self-driving part of the business could be worth over $1 trillion, with a chance for Tesla to hit a $2 trillion market cap by 2026 if FSD adoption and the Cybercab rollout speed up.

Overall, four-star-rated Ives has a Buy rating on TSLA stock with a price target of $500.

Is Tesla a Good Share to Buy?

According to TipRanks, TSLA stock has received a Hold consensus rating, with 14 Buys, 12 Holds, and 10 Sells assigned in the last three months. The average Tesla share price target $281.77, suggesting a potential downside of over 8% from the current level.

See more TSLA analyst ratings