Tesla has been vocal about its efforts to build an autonomous car, the company already offers an autopilot mode in its electric car which is capable of performing some crucial tasks on its own while total control remains with the driver. There are a few hurdles that need to be cleared first before the way for truly autonomous cars is paved and Tesla will surely be waiting for that to happen. Analysts are of the view that once that happens Tesla could jump in the ridesharing business.
Uber is perhaps one of the most popular ridesharing companies out there, through its app it allows you to summon a driver in many countries across the globe.
During Tesla’s Q2 earnings call Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jones talked about a recent report concerning Uber CEO Travis Kalanick who told venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, who also happens to be a major investor in Tesla, that in five years he would like to purchase as many as 500,000 autonomous cars from Tesla.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk was then asked by Jones if he could see the company supplying autonomous cars to ridesharing services like Uber or whether the company would consider offering this service through its own platform. There was an awkward pause that lasted a few seconds before Musk said “that’s an insightful question,” adding that “I don’t think I should answer it.”
This has led many on the street to believe that Musk may already have figured this out so when technological and regulatory hurdles are taken care of and truly autonomous cars can take to the road, perhaps we might see Tesla get into the business of selling rides as well.