Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is getting lapped in the Texas robotaxi race. The question is whether it matters.
- TSLA stock is moving. See the chart and price action here.
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles data as of June 16 puts Tesla’s statewide fleet at just 69 vehicles, according to research from Bank of America.
Waymo leads with 620, AVRide has 317, Nuro and Zoox round out the field at 47 and 35.
Tesla is also trails its competitors in markets. The company is live in four cities, with five more listed as “preparations underway,” while Waymo operates in 11.
Tesla is still running safety drivers in San Francisco while testing driverless deployments in Texas.
Analyst Weighs In
Bank of America analyst Alexander Perry covered the competitive landscape in a note Wednesday — and he thinks Tesla’s strategy is deliberate.
“Our analysis shows Tesla is pricing more than 20% below competitors as it continues to scale its robotaxi business,” Perry wrote.
BofA ran pricing across 10 routes, and Tesla averaged $10.90 per ride. Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER), Lyft Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT), and Waymo all came in at about $13.70 — nearly identical to each other.
Perry’s read: Tesla is sacrificing margin to accumulate data and grow its footprint.
The trade-off shows up in wait times. Tesla averaged about ten minutes, while competitors clocked only two to three-minute wait times.
Safety data largely cuts in Tesla’s favor. The company has reported 18 incidents to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since launch, all minor — one per roughly 101,000 miles, slightly behind Waymo’s one per 108,000. But Tesla has logged no serious injuries or fatalities, versus 11 for Waymo.
The analyst also noted that consumer trust in autonomous vehicles is improving, if slowly. AlphaRoc data shows 47% of respondents still do not trust self-driving cars “at all” — down two points year-over-year. Safety remains the top factor for anyone considering a robotaxi.
The Bottom Line
Perry kept his Buy rating and $460 price target on Tesla. His valuation is built on a sum-of-the-parts model covering the core auto business, robotaxi, FSD subscriptions, Optimus and energy storage — with DCF projections extending to 2040.
“We believe Tesla is at the early stages of monetization of its autonomy capabilities,” he wrote.
Waymo has the cars. Tesla has the price. BofA is betting the gap closes.
TSLA Stock Price Activity: Tesla shares were down 0.83% at $401.31 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Photo: Shutterstock
