Tesla’s Robotaxi to Debut in Austin

Tesla (TSLA) tentatively plans to roll out its robotaxi service on Jun. 22 in Austin, Texas, according to a social media post from CEO Elon Musk yesterday. Musk has discussed the idea of robotaxis for years, and the long-anticipated dream now seems to be nearing reality with sightings of self-driving Tesla vehicles in the city streets. The robotaxi has no steering wheel or pedals and appears to solely rely on artificial intelligence systems to transport up to two passengers.

Etymology fans may have noted Tesla’s broad use of the prefix “cyber”, as the robotaxi vehicle is also called the Cybercab along with the company’s signature Cybertruck. Modern usage of the word “cyber” refers to the general culture of computers, information technology, and virtual reality. Its use skyrocketed during the 1990s, as terms like cyberspace, cybernetics, cybersecurity, and cyberpunk entered the common vernacular. But some interesting food for thought is that the “cyber” prefix has roots in the ancient Greek word kybernetes. This word meant “steersman” which metaphorically referred to ideas of guidance and governance, but literally referred to the person steering a ship. Somehow, thousands of years later, it has come to mean the same thing again – but now the ship itself is at the helm.

Tesla shares are little changed in recent weeks after recovering from a roughly -25% plunge from the highs of 367.71 on May 29 to the intraday lows of 273.21 Jun. 5. TSLA stock now finds itself near a notable price level of 325, which represents old low points from November and February as well and could mark a resistance area for bulls to overcome. This area also happens to line up closely with the 21-day Exponential Moving Average, so a push beyond this point could provide fuel for an upside breakout. Many major moving averages are drifting sideways and clustering closer together, which suggests a lack of clear trend direction.

Momentum also seems to have slowed in recent weeks according to the Relative Strength Index (RSI). The RSI broke through an upward trendline that began with lows from early March and fell off sharply after experiencing some bearish divergence from price at the peaks near May 15 and May 27. It now is bouncing around the 50-midline, which is further evidence showing weak directionality.

Price levels to watch include the previously mentioned upside level of 325, and from there the next hurdle could be the 375 area, which represents a repeated floor that price eventually broke through to the downside. Potential support levels include the confluence of the 63-day EMA and the 200-day Simple Moving Average near 310, and then perhaps the 252-day EMA near 291.