Tesla, Inc. TSLA has achieved a breakthrough in autonomous vehicle technology by completing the world’s first driverless car delivery. A Model Y drove itself from Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, TX, to a customer's home about 30 minutes away, without anyone inside or remotely controlling the vehicle.
Tesla shared a video of the journey, filmed from the back seat, showing the car skillfully navigating highways, intersections, traffic lights and urban streets entirely on its own. It strictly followed traffic rules, made smooth turns and stopped appropriately at signals and stop signs. The drive ended with the vehicle parking itself beneath the owner's building.
The event drew widespread attention online. Tesla first released a three-minute teaser before sharing the full 30-minute footage. Per CEO Elon Musk, no one was inside or guiding the car remotely during the trip. This is the first time a fully autonomous vehicle has completed such a journey on public roads without any human involvement.
This milestone follows a rocky start to Tesla’s robotaxi testing in Austin on June 22. In a video taken by a passenger, Tesla Model Y vehicles were seen making erratic maneuvers, such as abrupt braking, improper drop-offs, lane violations and even hitting a curb.
Earlier this month, Musk hinted on X about the upcoming robotaxi and self-driving delivery features. He envisions millions of robotaxis in the future and plans to scale up production of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots, especially as EV sales soften in key markets like North America and Europe.
TSLA’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks
Tesla has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) at present.
Some better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Strattec Security Corporation STRT, Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. ALSN and Ferrari N.V. RACE, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STRT’s fiscal 2025 sales and earnings implies year-over-year growth of 3.49% and 8.11%, respectively. EPS estimates for fiscal 2025 and 2026 have improved 73 cents and 91 cents, respectively, in the past 60 days.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALSN’s 2025 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 6.26%. EPS estimates for 2025 and 2026 have improved 54 cents and 53 cents, respectively, in the past 60 days.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RACE’s 2025 sales and earnings implies year-over-year growth of 13.56% and 7.97%, respectively. EPS estimates for 2025 and 2026 have improved 29 cents and 33 cents, respectively, in the past seven days.
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