Of Teslas At the highly anticipated robotaxi event, investors will soon get a look at what CEO Elon Musk has dubbed the CyberCab.

After a decade of unfulfilled promises to deliver autonomous vehicles capable of traveling reasonable distances safely without a human at the wheel, there is a fair amount of skepticism about what Tesla can do technologically, and when its robotaxi will actually hit the road. market could come.

The Robotaxi Day or “We, Robot” event begins at 7:00 PM Pacific Time at a Warner Bros. studio. in Burbank, California and streamed live on X.

Garrett Nelson, an analyst at CFRA, warned in an Oct. 4 preview that conditions on a closed course on a movie studio lot could make a Tesla robotaxi look more advanced than in normal traffic and on public roads. CFRA has a hold rating on the stock.

Tesla shares fell about 1% to $238.77 on Thursday. They are now down almost 4% for the year and more than 40% below their 2021 record.

The event comes a week after Tesla reported 462,890 third-quarter deliveries, bringing its year-to-date number to 1.35 million. For all of last year, Tesla reported deliveries of 1.81 million.

Bullish analysts at firms like Wedbush, ARK and RBC Capital Markets expressed optimism in their reports about the company’s ability to grow revenue over the long term while delivering high-tech products, including a long-delayed autonomous vehicle, humanoid robotics and other AI technology. driven products and services.

Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management told CNBC’s “Fast Money” on Wednesday that he will be at the event and expects to test the robotaxi.

Munster, a longtime Tesla bull, said he thinks the company will roll out robotaxis in some cities by the end of 2025. He also expects Tesla to announce plans to produce an affordable electric car, possibly just a stripped-down version of its Model 3, and an electric van.

He said that while he expects the stock to drop after the event, it could reach “new highs” over the next two years as deliveries begin to accelerate.

Tesla was once seen as a pioneer in the development of autonomous vehicles, but has never been able to deliver or demonstrate robotaxi technology. The company is now considered a laggard.

Alphabet Waymo in the US and a number of Chinese companies all operate commercial robotaxi services today.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley wrote in a report Wednesday that if Tesla can launch a “level 4” robotaxi, meaning it can operate without a driver at the wheel, using its current “suite of hardware and software,” it would result in a cost of advantage per mile compared to colleagues.

In addition to missed deadlines, Tesla has had safety issues with its driver assistance systems, which are currently marketed as the standard Autopilot and premium options for full self-driving (attended).

Missy Cummings, a professor at George Mason University and director of the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center, says Tesla leaders need to have a say in how they solve a problem known as “phantom braking,” which refers to cases where vehicles are equipped with ADAS braking unexpectedly, even while driving at highway speed, with no visible obstacles around them.

Tesla’s phantom braking problems are the subject of an ongoing investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Cummings, who previously served as the regulator’s senior safety adviser, told CNBC: “If they can’t fix phantom braking for a Level 2 car, they can’t fix it for a Level 4 or 5 vehicle.” Level 2 vehicles are equipped with driver assistance systems.

According to data tracked by NHTSA as of 2021, there have been 1,399 crashes in which Tesla’s driver assistance systems were activated within 30 seconds of the crash, and 31 of these collisions resulted in reported fatalities.

Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at Guidehouse Insights, said Musk and other Tesla executives should be able to say exactly how they plan to operate their vehicles in different weather conditions, such as fog, rain, snow and lighting, or in dark tunnels.

He also wants Tesla executives to say whether they accept full liability for the operation of these vehicles, which he calls “the commitment to a true robotaxi without human control.”

Finally, Abuelsamid wants to know whether Tesla plans to own and operate its robotaxis, or lease or sell it to consumers and fleet operators.

“Many companies have made strides in automated driving technology,” Abuelsamid said. “But they failed when it came to coming up with a business model that could be profitable. Tesla has a lot of challenges to overcome and I want to know how all the pieces fall into place.”

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