Worried About Tesla's Robotaxi? These Two Words From Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Might Change Your Mind.

Source The Motley Fool

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is primarily known for two things: electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage. For years, however, the company's eccentric CEO Elon Musk has been talking about a vision for the company that's rooted in artificial intelligence (AI).

Specifically, Musk wants to parlay Tesla's automobile business into a full-fledged robotaxi operation. The prospects of Tesla disrupting ride-hailing, delivery services, and even car rental businesses has investors excited. But just how real is the opportunity?

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

According to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who appears to be a fan of Musk already, Tesla's autonomous driving ambitions are very real. Let's dig into some recent commentary from Huang that should have Tesla bulls cheering.

What did Jensen Huang just say about Tesla?

During an April 2024 earnings call, Musk made an interesting point comparing the evolution of automobiles to that of cellphones. He described how the release of the iPhone and Android devices served as an existential shift in the mobile phone business, essentially turning flip phones into relics.

Musk went on to predict that "all cars will need to be smart cars" in the future. By "smart car," Musk means cars that are capable of driving themselves. Essentially, he is saying that autonomous driving is the future of the automotive industry, and if legacy manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors don't catch up to what Tesla is developing through its full self-driving software, then "licensing becomes not optional."

During an interview with Yahoo! Finance, Huang appeared to echo Musk's sentiment that all cars will eventually be leveraging autonomous driving technology. But the real kicker is what Huang said about Tesla, declaring the company is "far ahead" of the competition.

Some on Wall Street seem to agree

Two of the biggest Tesla bulls on Wall Street are equity research analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities and Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood.

With Tesla's robotaxi launch reportedly on the horizon, Ives got investors excited when he recently declared the "golden age" of autonomous driving has arrived. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ives also raised his price target to $500 for Tesla stock, implying nearly 53% upside from the stock's closing price on June 10.

Considering Alphabet's Waymo already has the lead in robotaxis, combined with existing footprints in the ride-hailing industry from Uber and Lyft, Tesla would appear to have an uphill battle when it comes to acquiring customers and scaling its own autonomous vehicle fleet.

Nevertheless, Wood appears to be even more bullish than Ives. The Ark Invest founder recently doubled down on her optimistic case for Tesla with a five-year share price target of $2,600!

An autonomous driving button inside of a car.

Image source: Getty Images.

Is Tesla stock a buy right now?

Tesla has long been a stock that exhibits out-of-the-ordinary behavior. What I mean by that is measuring Tesla based on traditional valuation metrics such as price-to-sales (P/S) or price-to-earnings (P/E) has rarely been useful. The reason is because Tesla stock tends to move based on narratives and less so on concrete financials.

Over the last month, shares of Tesla have gained roughly 9% as of June 10. However, within that brief period, the stock had climbed as high as 22% and declined as much as 5%. This is an extreme range of volatility, even for Tesla.

Tesla stock started to tick higher throughout May as Musk announced that he's moving on from his public sector duties at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Investors were happy to hear this as they assumed Musk would refocus on Tesla, a business that's been stagnant for over a year now.

On top of that, the expected robotaxi rollout in June likely attracted some investors as well.

But over the last week, Tesla stock took a nosedive at one point due to a very public feud between Musk and President Donald Trump -- specifically regarding disagreements the two have on Trump's new spending bill.

Just weeks ago, it seemed the upside from the robotaxi launch was already priced into Tesla stock, but now, you could argue this is an opportunity to buy the dip.

With this much volatility and so much of it hanging on the robotaxi, I'd wait and see how the launch goes. Long-term scaling of the robotaxi business will require regulatory approvals, making Musk's political feuds all the more relevant.

While it's tempting to scoop up shares of Tesla based on positive talking points from prominent figures such as Huang, Ives, and Wood, there's just too many unknowns surrounding the company right now to make it a prudent buy at these prices.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

  • Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $373,325!*
  • Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $38,475!*
  • Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $649,102!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join Stock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See the 3 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Adam Spatacco has positions in Alphabet, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Nvidia, Tesla, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors and Lyft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Natural Gas sinks to pivotal level as China’s demand slumpsNatural Gas price (XNG/USD) edges lower and sinks to $2.56 on Monday, extending its losing streak for the fifth day in a row. The move comes on the back of China cutting its Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) imports after prices rose above $3.0 in June. It
Author  FXStreet
Jul 01, 2024
Natural Gas price (XNG/USD) edges lower and sinks to $2.56 on Monday, extending its losing streak for the fifth day in a row. The move comes on the back of China cutting its Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) imports after prices rose above $3.0 in June. It
placeholder
What Crypto Whales are Buying For May 2025Crypto whales are making bold moves heading into May 2025, and three tokens are standing out: Ethereum (ETH), Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET), and Onyxcoin (XCN).
Author  Beincrypto
Apr 21, Mon
Crypto whales are making bold moves heading into May 2025, and three tokens are standing out: Ethereum (ETH), Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET), and Onyxcoin (XCN).
placeholder
Ethereum (ETH) Underperforms All Top 5 Major Cryptos in Brutal 2025 DowntrendDespite signs of improving momentum, with RSI climbing and EMA lines hinting at a potential breakout, ETH continues to lag behind competitors like Solana in multiple metrics.
Author  Beincrypto
Apr 23, Wed
Despite signs of improving momentum, with RSI climbing and EMA lines hinting at a potential breakout, ETH continues to lag behind competitors like Solana in multiple metrics.
placeholder
Analysts Highlight 4 Reasons Why ETH Price Could Rebound Strongly in MayEthereum (ETH) has declined for five consecutive months. However, it enters May with rising optimism.
Author  Beincrypto
May 07, Wed
Ethereum (ETH) has declined for five consecutive months. However, it enters May with rising optimism.
placeholder
Ethereum Price Ready to Surge—$2,000 Level Could Be Within ReachEthereum price started a fresh increase above the $1,800 zone. ETH is now rising and attempting a move above the $1,850 resistance. Ethereum started a fresh recovery wave above the $1,820 resistance.
Author  NewsBTC
May 08, Thu
Ethereum price started a fresh increase above the $1,800 zone. ETH is now rising and attempting a move above the $1,850 resistance. Ethereum started a fresh recovery wave above the $1,820 resistance.
goTop
quote