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Since the year began, Tesla (TSLA) fans and investors have been looking forward to a major event. Some experts feel it could be a significant catalyst for share prices.
The former electric vehicle (EV) leader definitely needs the momentum. Despite some recent growth, TSLA stock is still down more than 8% year-to-date (YTD), and trading has been mostly volatile. This is primarily due to declining sales, often attributed to polarizing actions from CEO Elon Musk.
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Over the past month, Tesla reported disappointing deliveries for Q1 and even worse earnings, which showed just how difficult the company’s road to recovery will be. Consumer sentiment toward the company and its leader in both the U.S. and Europe has plunged, but last week, investors learned that sales in China have declined as well.
Tesla’s outlook appears quite grim, but recent reports suggest that it could be about to get worse.
Tesla enthusiasts might be on the verge of a major letdown
In December 2024, Tesla revealed that in 2025, it planned on delivering something that its fans have been eagerly awaiting for years. It would be rolling out driverless robotaxis in a major U.S. city, effectively helping usher in a new era of transportation.
Related: Elon Musk gets devastating news as the 'anti-Tesla' catches on
This announcement came with a major caveat, though. While the Tesla robotaxi would finally be making its debut on public roads, it would still come with a remote human operator to assist with potential problems. Experts have agreed that, therefore, these cars shouldn’t be considered fully “self-driving.”
Fans of the Tesla brand don’t seem to care about this technicality, but soon, that may be the least of their worries. On the Q1 earnings call, Musk stated that Tesla expects to offer autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, in June 2025, but a recent report from The Information calls that into question.
The outlet reveals that despite its claims that the June 2025 launch is still on track as of April 2025, Tesla had not actually conducted any driverless ride tests, according to an “engineer close to the testing and a former employee.”
Sherwood News provides further context on Tesla’s lack of robotaxi progress, stating:
“In April, Tesla announced that a very limited set of people — Tesla employees in the Bay Area and Austin — could get a ride in the company’s robotaxis...with a person sitting in the passenger seat. But with its launch just weeks away, there’s no evidence that the company has conducted any 'unsupervised, no one in the car' rides yet.”