Core Viewpoint - Tesla officially launched its Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, marking a new phase in the commercialization of autonomous taxi services, amidst changing dynamics in the North American Robotaxi market with competitors like Waymo and Zoox also making significant moves [3][4]. Tesla - Tesla's Robotaxi service is currently in a small-scale pilot phase with an initial investment of 10 to 20 modified Model Y vehicles equipped with the latest HW5.0 hardware and FSD V12 software, claiming Level 4 autonomous driving capability [4]. - The service operates within a geographical area of approximately 77.7 square kilometers in South Austin, limited to Tesla employees and invited users, charging a fixed fee of $4.2 per trip [4]. - Tesla's Robotaxi aims to significantly reduce costs by using a pure vision technology approach, which lowers manufacturing costs compared to competitors, with a target cost of $0.2 per mile (approximately ¥0.9 per kilometer) [5][6]. - The company plans to expand its Robotaxi fleet to 1,000 vehicles in the coming months and introduce a dedicated Robotaxi model, Cybercab, by 2026, which will eliminate traditional driving controls [4][6]. Waymo - Waymo, a subsidiary of Google, is currently the leader in the North American Robotaxi market, operating over 1,500 vehicles and generating nearly $100 million in annual revenue [6][7]. - The company has completed 10 million autonomous rides, doubling its previous milestone in just five months, and is expanding its services to new cities like Philadelphia and New York [7][8]. - Waymo employs a multi-sensor and high-definition mapping approach, which, while providing high safety redundancy, results in significantly higher operational costs compared to Tesla, approximately seven times higher [7]. - The company is building a diverse ecosystem through partnerships with automakers and ride-sharing platforms, enhancing its revenue streams beyond just Robotaxi services [8]. Zoox - Zoox, owned by Amazon, has begun operations at its factory in California, aiming to produce 10,000 Robotaxis annually by 2027, targeting major markets like Miami, Los Angeles, and Atlanta [9][10]. - Unlike competitors, Zoox designs its Robotaxi from the ground up for autonomous driving, featuring a unique design without traditional controls, which allows for a fully autonomous experience [10]. - Amazon's backing provides Zoox with a strategic advantage, as the company seeks to integrate its Robotaxi services with Amazon's logistics and cloud computing operations, potentially creating a new growth avenue [10].

Core Viewpoint - Tesla's market value surged by $400 billion following a significant increase in stock price due to strong market expectations for the launch of its fully autonomous Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas on June 12 [1] Group 1: Technological Advancements - Tesla's Robotaxi service is built on a decade of development in its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, featuring the new HW5.0 hardware platform that enhances computing power to 1.1 EFLOPS, a fivefold increase from the previous generation [2] - The Model Y, equipped with this platform, achieved a "zero-accident" record over 24,000 kilometers of real-world testing in Austin, utilizing a combination of four 4D millimeter-wave radars and twelve high-definition cameras for complex scenario recognition [2] - Tesla's unique "shadow mode" data collection strategy allows nearly 7 million Tesla vehicles to gather road condition data, providing over 16 million kilometers of "virtual driving mileage" daily, giving Tesla a significant edge in end-to-end model training [2] Group 2: Market Potential - Goldman Sachs predicts that by 2028, at least 15% of daily travel decisions will be made by autonomous driving systems, with Tesla's Robotaxi expected to generate revenue exceeding its vehicle sales by 2027 through a pay-per-mile model charging $0.5 per kilometer [2] - Tesla aims to produce a dedicated model, Cybercab, without a steering wheel or pedals by 2026, targeting a cost of $30,000 per unit to lower operational barriers [2] - The potential transformation from a $1.4 trillion electric vehicle manufacturer to a $28.1 trillion autonomous driving service provider highlights the significant market opportunity for Tesla [2] Group 3: Challenges Ahead - Despite technological leadership, Tesla's Robotaxi faces challenges including high operational costs, with competitors like Waymo incurring $100,000 to $200,000 per vehicle in modification costs, while Tesla aims to reduce this to one-third of traditional costs [3] - Regulatory hurdles exist, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported a 45% increase in accident reports involving FSD, and current laws classify Robotaxi as Level 2 driving assistance, complicating liability issues [3] - Public trust remains a significant barrier, with 66% of Americans expressing fear of autonomous driving, and incidents of vandalism against autonomous vehicles highlighting societal concerns [4]