Analysts criticise lack of detail about the ‘robotaxi’ showcased by CEO Elon Musk

Tesla shares fell nearly 9% on Friday, wiping about $60bn (£45bn) from the company’s value, after the long-awaited unveiling of its so-called robotaxi failed to excite investors.

Shares in the electric carmaker tumbled to $217 at market close following an event in Hollywood, where the chief executive, Elon Musk, revealed a much-hyped driverless vehicle. The stock price is down roughly 12% year-to-date.

However, analysts said the event was short on detail and also expressed disappointment over a lack of specifics about other Tesla projects. Musk has a history of making grand projections about upcoming products and failing to follow through in the timeframe he has set, or at all.

  • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 hours ago

    Awe shucks. Tesla should boot out Dork MAGAT and bring back Eberhard and Tarpenning. When Leon leaves, then I will consider a Tesla.

  • ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    4 hours ago

    At least the robovan looks like a vehicle from a dystopian cyberpunk movie, and the bad guy cops (that are of course working for a private police firm) are being ready to burst out from it to try to arrest the good guys.

  • Blackmist@feddit.uk
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    61
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    6 hours ago

    Bro. Just one more year bro. I swear bro. Just one more year and we’ll have full self driving bro.

    Don’t lose faith bro. Or I’ll sue you and call you a pedo guy.

        • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          3 hours ago

          No, what makes you think that? I understand doubting Elon, but Waymo works great day in and out. The only bad incident I know of with them was when another vehicle with a person driving hit a pedestrian that threw the pedestrian under a Waymo, and they had to update the software to know what to do when a person spawns under the vehicle. Horrible, yes. But one of their cars wouldn’t have hit the pedestrian to start.

  • Furbag@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    59
    ·
    7 hours ago

    It won’t be $30k, it won’t be full self driving, it won’t be ready for production by by 2027, it won’t replace all cars on the road by 2075.

    It’s shocking that people aren’t calling him out on the fact that he also promised every Tesla on the road today would be capable of becoming a robotaxi, which was just an outrageous lie at the time and evidently they are no longer working towards making that plan a reality anymore if they’re designing dedicated autonomous vehicles. Letting him pitch a new robotaxi idea feels like letting him get away not having to face any consequences for his blatant bullshit.

  • geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    21
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    6 hours ago

    Musk said the company would start building the fully autonomous “Cybercab” by 2026 at a price of less than $30,000, and showed off a van he claimed was capable of transporting 20 people around town autonomously – which he said would reshape cities by turning car parks into parks.

    $30,000 for a fully autonomous bus?

    • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      edit-2
      2 hours ago

      He’s learned that if you put an ® next to your name there are literally zero consequences for blatantly lying.

    • Psythik@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      4 hours ago

      Why is he even bothering when we already have Waymo? It already has full-self driving, and it works wonderfully. I use it to get rides to work when I’m too tired to drive. Just hop in, take a nap, and wake up at your destination. I trust it way more than any Uber/Lyft driver.

    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 hour ago

      Tesla is a so called “meme stock” detached from how a company is actually performing. I’d say avoid it if you’re looking for “steady” buy and hold investing instead of (high tax) daytrader style gambling.

    • Blackmist@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      5 hours ago

      Investing is where you buy into market trackers and have no more than a couple of percent in any given company.

      What you’re talking about is gambling.

        • Blackmist@feddit.uk
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          3 hours ago

          Possibly. If Trump wins what are the odds on him letting Elon’s crappy self driving cars be road legal as a thank you for all the election interference? But then what are the odds on Trump doing what he always does and abandoning everyone at the first sign of trouble. What if Trump loses?

          It’s a lot of ifs. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose is the only advice I can give.

        • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          edit-2
          5 hours ago

          The stock price/earnings ratio is still quite high. So based on fundamentals it’s still not a good buy. Instead, you’re gambling that in the future you’ll hear more unexpected good news from Tesla than unexpected bad news.

          Personally, I wouldn’t take that bet.

        • machineLearner@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          4 hours ago

          depends on how much faith you have in elons ability to bullshit the masses. I wouldn’t do it, but some have gotten money off that gambit.

    • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 hours ago

      Do you actually believe anything he said is true? Follow-up question, are you literate and do you have access to the internet?

    • TheBrideWoreCrimson@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      18
      ·
      9 hours ago

      It might not be a particularly new insight, but I find it worth repeating anyway: Musk truly is the new Ford. Runs his own company in the ground and has a hard-on for fascists.

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        edit-2
        6 hours ago

        With a bit of Edison thrown in for good measure. He’s constantly claiming to have invented things or founded companies that he had nothing to do with.

    • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      49
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      13 hours ago

      Even at face value, that’s still a massive red flag coming Musk. He gave us a concept of the cybertruck that actually looked pretty badass; then delivered a vehicle straight out the Playstation 1. Any concept he pitches can be assumed to be complete bullshit.

      • normanwall@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        6 hours ago

        Lol this thing with a heavy battery would flip over at the mere sight of a bump, and everyone would die inside

        • filcuk@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          4 hours ago

          The center of mass is lower due to the battery, so I’d say the opposite is true.

      • friendlymessage@feddit.orgB
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        44
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        12 hours ago

        That thing looks AI generated. Better than what we got but still ridiculous. I mean, it’s huge but still somehow doesn’t really seem to have much space for passengers or cargo at the same time

        Also, why is the cabin aerodynamic while the hood is not? The whole thing is nonsensical

  • sleepmode@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    40
    ·
    13 hours ago

    A two seater with lambo doors that look like they’ll immediately get sheared off by a passing truck that can’t see them. A laughable delivery timeline. And the “concept” bus looks like a Dustbuster that’ll get stuck in a pothole or on top of a speed bump with its current ground clearance. It’s almost like he’s deliberately trying to tank the stock making all this impractical shit.

  • RandomStickman@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    80
    ·
    17 hours ago

    Investors we spoke to at the event thought the event was light of real numbers and timeline

    Not like Elon is famous for keeping the timeline. Man on Mars and Tesla semi any day now.

  • computerscientistII@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    12 hours ago

    Especially the person in the background starting Elon’s first public robotaxi-trip with a remote control didn’t really help.

  • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    22
    ·
    14 hours ago

    The key risk for this whole bet Tesla is making is the software. I couldn’t give two shits about their hardware plans, that will come and it’s not the key challenge. Saying “we will have it next year” is just not good enough when you’ve said it before and ruined your credibility already. This event should not have happened until the software is ready to go, it’s worth nothing without that.