Tesla

Deepwater’s second annual Frontier Tech Survey measures the American public’s viewpoint on emerging technologies, including AI, Electrification & Automation, the Creator Economy, and Relationship with Tech. Key Takeaways: AI – General usage is increasing but we are still early in the…

The odds of Tesla successfully capitalizing on autonomy increased with the news that Trump's transition team is planning to make regulating self-driving vehicles a top priority. Tesla holds a unique position, as it can pursue autonomy through a combination of two business models: asset-light, focusing on vehicle hardware sales, or asset-heavy. I believe these strategies could significantly boost Tesla's operating profit by the end of the decade, with a wide range of potential outcomes—anywhere from a 10% to a 155% increase, depending on which model they pursue. My prediction: by 2030, autonomy will account for 40% of Tesla's operating income.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the $7,500 EV tax credit will likely end in the US next year. While this outcome has been largely anticipated since late summer, Musk's relationship with Trump left open the possibility that the incentive might be preserved. As a result, deliveries this quarter are likely to exceed expectations as demand is pulled forward. For next year, I believe the company will still meet the Street's 14% y/y growth expectation, which is below Elon’s recent projections of 20–30% growth. Either way, delivery growth is expected to accelerate from being flat in 2024 to 12% in 2025.

Tesla posted a surprising profit margin in the September quarter while guiding the December quarter and 2025 deliveries well ahead of expectations. Additionally, I believe Cybercab will be a measurable boost to deliveries, accounting for about 15% of deliveries by 2032. Putting these together, we're seeing signs that EV growth is returning, the most critical piece to the 3-year Tesla investment case.

On the surface, the waiting game will continue for TSLA investors as the Cybercab and Optimus are still years away. Beneath the surface, the "We, Robot" event posed a challenge for traditional automakers as Tesla showcased an innovation edge that puts an end to the "Is Tesla a tech or car company?" debate.

I’ve had a week to process the “We, Robot” event, including conversations with several industry players and am left with 4 takeaways. 1) The world needs autonomy. 2) It’s going to take longer than I thought to get there. 3) Once the Robotaxi fleet is nationwide, it could add +20% to Tesla’s operating income. 4) Tesla's biggest opportunity lies in unsupervised FSD driving more consumer sales.

Tesla's "We, Robot" event is Thursday, October 10 at 10p ET. The two key topics orbiting the event include the number of vehicles they'll announce and timing of production. I'm looking for 3 vehicles (most are expecting two) and I believe we'll only hear production timing on the Model 2, which I expect to begin late in 2025. This timing is a few months later than what Elon's comments suggested on the June earnings call. The one wild card could be the more affordable Model 2 is actually a stripped down Model 3, which would be viewed as a negative by investors.

The fact that TSLA initially dropped 6% on the September deliveries, which were essentially in line with the Street, suggests there was something more concerning in the report, possibly related to inventories. I have a different view and see the results as a win for the company given they mark a return to growth for the first time in nine months, despite multiple headwinds. As for next year's deliveries, the timing of a new model will have a measurable impact. Beyond 2025, growth should ramp to above 20%.

This note provides Deepwater’s updated timeline of EV adoption in the United States. Previously, we had estimated that by 2030 50% of new car sales in the US would be fully electric. We now believe by 2030 only 25% of new car sales will be EVs. We expect the industry to cross the 50% threshold between 2035 and 2036. As for Tesla, we're expecting total 2030 deliveries of 4.5m, compared to the Street at 3.6m (FactSet).

Tesla’s stock declined 12% on June earnings as profitability dipped and the timing of Robotaxi got pushed out by 6-12 months. Musk said it best when he boiled down the TSLA investment case to a simple question; Do you believe the company will deliver on the promise of autonomy? Our view is that potential is within reach, and by late 2027 we should start to see FSD adoption, and the fleet business begin to build. Beyond FSD, the company looks to add licensing of FSD to other car makers and scale Optimus, both of which will take 5-10 years to add to the bottom line.

While it's still more than two months away, I'm sharing my early predictions for the "Robotaxi Event". I expect three vehicles to be revealed, including Robotaxi, Model 2 and Cybervan (tailored to the ride-hailing vision). I expect initial production ramps could start as soon as summer of 2025, with FSD approval playing a large factor in the timing. These vehicles fit into Elon's vision that they need to solve autonomy to unlock shareholder value.

Tesla had a difficult March quarter, reporting the first year over year revenue decline (9%) since Mar-20. Most of the business metrics suggest 2024 will be a difficult year for the company. That said, shares of TSLA rose 11% given the company's announcement that the next generation vehicle will come about 9 months earlier than expected, along with optimism for a sales rebound this year, and the promise around FSD. Putting it together, investing in Tesla comes down to a belief in the company's ability to convert that vision into reality. We remain optimistic.