Before the Tesla Cybercab Robotaxi was revealed, we (the automotive press) felt like we were about to witness a game-changing event. While the entire auto industry has been spending massive sums of money on full autonomous driving with very little success – except very convincing driving assistance technology – Tesla seemed truly ready to announce the arrival of a true self-driving taxi. At least, that’s what Mr. Musk suggested with utmost confidence prior to the reveal.
But then, the We,Robot event happened, where Tesla showcased a frankly cool-looking coupe with no steering wheel and no pedals that drove people around the venue. We were told that it would arrive by 2027 at a sub $30,000 price point. At first glance, it appeared as though the much-awaited Robotaxi was indeed finally here. Until Tesla ended up not telling us much.
We were all left with questions about how it’ll work, where it’ll be available and how safety legislation will bend backwards to let it happen. But the real questions are coming from Tesla investors. They’re only unimpressed by the Cybercab reveal, they’re turning their attention to what they consider to be much more pressing issues.
Tesla Investors Are Worried About Long Service Times
Tesla created a dedicated website called Say to invite shareholders to publicly ask questions and then vote on which should be answered. Some spoke of how delicious the pizza was at the We,Robot event, while others focused on the availability of the Tesla insurance program in other states like Florida. One shareholder, representing 1.1 million TSLA shares, was upvoted 2,400 times for their question surrounding abnormally long service wait times at Tesla service centers.
“What is Tesla doing to alleviate long waiting times at service centers?” we could read in the thread. Long wait times have been a pain point for Tesla owners for quite some time now, with the average delay lasting between three weeks and a full month. Sure any Tesla dedicated website or forum, and horror stories of owners waiting forever to get their vehicle repaired are numerous. Delays have been caused by a lack of authorized service centers and delays in obtaining parts from suppliers.
When Are More Affordable Tesla Models Coming Out?
But the topic that surfaces the most on the Say platform is the long-awaited affordable model at Tesla, which, as I write this, still doesn’t exist. Elon Musk has been hinting at a sub $30,000 electric vehicle (EV) for quite some time now, yet, the cheapest model in its lineup at the moment is still the $42,490 Model 3.
One investor, representing 2.2 million TSLA shares, asked: “Is Tesla still on track to deliver the more affordable model next year, as mentioned by Elon earlier, and how does it align with your AI and product roadmap?” His question has been upvoted 4,700 times on the platform. “When can we expect Tesla to give us the ~$25K, non-robotaxi, regular car model?” – says another another, representing 1.3 million shares. On the Say platform, 3,100 other investors have upvoted his question.
While autonomy still remains a key talking point for most TSLA shareholders, the main driving topic at the moment really seems to be the truly affordable EV that Tesla isn’t building yet. Remember, affordability is one of the key driving forces behind mass EV adoption. Tesla investors are wise to see this as a lucrative talking point, especially since Elon has been promising them one for over a year now, with nothing yet in sight.
The last thing these investors want to is to see a legacy carmaker like, say, Kia – which could crack that code before Tesla – to get there first. Reliable sources tell us that these investors are poised and ready to challenge Mr. Musk on the matter in today’s earnings call.
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