Tesla Robotaxi Launch Sparks "Golden Era of Autonomous" with $1 Trillion AI Future Potential

Daniel Ives, a top analyst at Wedbush, calls Tesla's robotaxi launch "the golden era of autonomous" and believes its AI future is worth $1 trillion. Ives maintains a Buy rating on TSLA stock with a $500 price target, implying 55.2% upside potential from current levels. He predicts Tesla will expand its robotaxi service to 25 US cities by 2026 and sees President Trump relaxing regulatory hurdles for the autonomous vehicle sector.

As Tesla Inc. TSLA prepares to launch its highly anticipated robotaxi service in Austin on Sunday, June 22, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives has predicted a transformative future for the company, pegging its artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving technology at a staggering $1 trillion valuation [1]. Ives hailed the upcoming rollout as the start of a "golden era of autonomous" for Tesla, underscoring Elon Musk's vision to pivot the company toward driverless vehicles and AI innovation.

Ives' bullish forecast comes as Tesla gears up to debut its robotaxi service, a milestone first hinted at by Musk in January. The launch follows reports of Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system logging over 1 billion miles of supervised autonomy data by 2024, fueling optimism among investors [1]. However, the move has sparked contention. On June 18, a group of Democratic Texas lawmakers urged Tesla to delay the launch until September, when a new autonomous-driving law takes effect, citing safety concerns over the technology's readiness.

Despite the lawmakers' request, Ives remains undeterred, suggesting the AI-driven future could significantly boost Tesla's market value in the coming years. Ives maintains a Buy rating on TSLA stock with a $500 price target, implying 55.2% upside potential from current levels [2]. He predicts Tesla will expand its robotaxi service to 25 US cities by 2026 and sees President Trump relaxing regulatory hurdles for the autonomous vehicle sector.

The robotaxi market is steadily growing in the U.S., as Alphabet Inc.'s GOOGL GOOG Waymo announced it will be further expanding its presence in California [1]. TSLA shares were 1.79% higher in premarket on Friday, with a year-to-date return of 77.37% [1].

References:
[1] https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/06/46034667/teslas-ai-future-is-worth-1-trillion-says-dan-ives-golden-era-of-autonomous-begins-with-robotaxi-launch
[2] https://www.tipranks.com/stocks/tsla/forecast