Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 earnings call comes on the heels of the company’s Q4 and FY 2022 Update Letter. Tesla’s Q4 numbers were very impressive, with the company achieving its highest-ever quarterly revenue, operating income, and net income.
Tesla highlighted a number of its key milestones in the fourth quarter. Both Gigafactory Texas and Giga Berlin were able to achieve a production of 3,000 Model Y per week. The company’s 4680 cell production line was also able to produce enough batteries to make 1,000 battery packs. The Tesla Semi started deliveries in December as well.
In the fourth quarter, Tesla’s total revenues grew 37% to $24.318 billion. Operating income improved year-over-year to $3.9 billion in the fourth quarter as well. However, automotive gross margins were listed at 25.9%, which is impressive but slightly lower than expectations, which were at 26.4%.
The following are live updates from Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2022 earnings call. I will be updating this article in real-time, so please keep refreshing the page to view the latest updates on this story. The first entry starts at the bottom of the page.
17:35 CT – And that wraps up Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2022 earnings call! Thanks so much for staying with us for this live blog. Until the next time!
17:32 CT – Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley asked if it was time for Tesla to use captives. Kirkhorn noted that Tesla uses captives to support third-party gaps and to support its automotive business. Elon Musk also highlighted that Tesla is adopting cautious strategies. “Tesla is in a good position to handle a recession because it doesn’t have debt and it has $20 billion in cash,” Musk said.
17:26 CT – William Stein of Truist asked about Tesla’s AI element, and if the company can provide more details about Dojo and Optimus. Elon noted that Tesla is still in its early, but Tesla expects that Dojo will be competitive with the Nvidia H1 in 2023 and hopefully surpass it by next year.
17:23 CT – The analyst asked if Tesla wishes to accelerate commercial vehicle production outside the Semi. Elon Musk confirmed that yes, Tesla would be doing this, though the product has not been announced as of yet.
17:22 CT – Tesla executives also highlighted that there is no EV market. However, Chinese carmakers are likely the most likely to be second to Tesla, since they work hard and they work smart. “They work the hardest and the smartest,” Musk said, Elon candidly admits that overall, Tesla China is winning in its own right.
17:21 CT – Another analyst asked what company Tesla sees as its chief competitor five years from now. Elon Musk noted that Tesla doesn’t really know. In self-driving alone, it really seems like Tesla is far ahead of the second placer. “We don’t really know who would be a distant second… Right now, I don’t think you can see a distant second with a telescope” Musk said.
17:19 CT – Alex Potter from Piper Sandler asked about FSD and deferred revenue that was unlocked in the quarter. Kirkhorn noted that Tesla structure its strategy in two ways: Full Self-Driving and Enhanced Autopilot. The analyst asked about the Giga Nevada’s batteries, and how the 4680 cells from Nevada would be allocated in the future. Elon Musk responded that there’s too much guessing at this point. However, not all of the 100 GWh from the 4680 plant in Giga Nevada will be used for the Tesla Semi.
17:15 CT – Elon Musk confirms that Tesla is looking to start using Dojo by the end of this year. “Tesla is really one of the most leading AI companies,” the CEO said.
17:14 CT – The analyst also asked if the take rate for FSD is improving. Musk noted that the trend is very strong toward the use of FSD. “With each incremental improvement, the enthusiasm matches the increases,” Musk said.
17:13 CT – Tesla executives also noted that the Model 3 and Model Y are mature now, so Tesla is seeing areas where costs could be optimized more. The company is learning info that helps increase margins, specifically with the powertrain. These could then reduce its costs through the continuous improvements of its vehicles.
17:10 CT – Pierre Ferragu from New Street Research asked how much time Tesla needs to get to 36K in Texas and Berlin. Kirkhorn noted that Tesla would probably not see 36k this year, but it will make progress. As for Austin and Berlin inefficiencies, Kirkhorn believes that Tesla will see improvement.
17:05 CT – Rod Lache from Wolfe Research asks about Tesla’s 1.8 million forecast. Elon noted that Tesla’s pace is actually at 2 million vehicles this year, but since there are a lot of force majeure events that would probably happen, it’s best to be conservative. Ultimately, internal production potential is closer to 2 million vehicles than 1.8 million.
17:03 CT – Next question is about Cybertruck’s production. Elon notes that Summer 2023 is the target, but it would be slow at first. “I wouldn’t put too much stock in the start of production,” Elon said, noting that volume production is what’s really important. Volume production is important and it will start in 2024.
17:00 CT – Elon adds that Tesla Insurance is a good feedback loop for the company. Through Tesla Insurance, Tesla has adjusted the design of the car and its software to minimize the cost of repair, the CEO noted. Work is still ongoing to make repairs better, of course. “We’re actually solving how to fix the car very quickly and efficiently and get it back to the customer,” Musk said.
16:58 CT – Next question is directed at the CFO, and it is about Tesla Insurance. Kirkhorn note that it might be some time before Tesla Insurance is large enough for disclosure. “It will take some time before Tesla Insurance warrants specific financial disclosures,” Kirkhorn said, adding that growth is 20% a quarter for now. Take rates are also high after customers take delivery of their cars. Elon adds that Tesla Insurance is a good feedback loop for the company.
16:56 CT – Next questions are about Tesla’s 4680 cell production ramp and Hardware 4. Executives noted that Tesla is making steady progress with Giga Texas’ 4680 ramp. Elon also confirmed that Hardware 4 would be introduced with the Cybertruck. The CEO also noted that he plans to drive the Cybertruck every day when it comes out.
16:53 CT – Next question is about Elon’s political statements on Twitter and if it damages Tesla’s brand. Elon notes that he has about 127 million followers on Twitter, and it’s still growing. “This suggests that I’m reasonably popular,” Musk said. “Twitter is incredibly powerful for driving demand for Tesla, so I’m encouraging automotive brands worldwide to (use) Twitter… I think Twitter is an incredibly powerful tool for driving demand.”
16:51 CT – Next question from investors is about the company’s gross automotive margin, especially following the company’s price cuts. Analysts estimated that automotive gross margin, excluding leases and reg credits, would drop below 20% and the average selling price around $47k across all models. Tesla believes it will be above the metrics mentioned in the question, at least based on current data.
16:48 CT – Kirkhorn states that Tesla will get a different amount of credits, and that the company wants to use incentives to push affordability. “We want to use this to accelerate sustainable energy, which is our mission and the reason for the bill.” Kirkhorn said.
16:46 CT – Another question about credits was asked. Elon noted that long-term, Tesla would be able to get significant value from credits. That being said, this is reliant on domestic manufacturing. “Long-term Tesla expects the value of these credits to be very significant,” Musk said, adding that the value of credits in 2023 won’t be gigantic, but they could be gigantic in the future.
16:45 CT – Investor questions begin. First questions were about demand concerns, which Elon and Zach had already been addressed.
16:44 CT – Kirkhorn noted that Tesla is prioritizing its funding for the company’s future plans. Tesla is working on fixing its inefficiencies, including Berlin/Texas ramp, and in-house cell production, the CFO explained.
16:43 CT – CFO Zachary Kirkhorn takes the stage. Similar to Elon Musk, the CFO thanked the Tesla team for its accomplishments last year. He noted that revenue has increased by 50% and operating income doubled. “We believe we are in a good trajectory,” Kirkhorn said, also highlighting that demand is very strong for the company’s products.
16:40 CT – “I would like to make it clear that there is path towards a sustainable energy future,” Musk said, adding that Tesla is ramping Megapack production at a rate that’s faster than the company’s vehicle output. “Manufacturing technology would be our most important long-term strength,” Musk said.
16:38 CT – Elon also highlighted a number of key updates for Tesla FSD Beta, which has been rolled out to roughly 400,000 users. Total miles driven with FSD Beta outside of highways reached 100 million miles as well. The CEO also highlighted the safety of the FS Beta program. “We would not have released FSD Beta if these statistics were not accurate,” Musk said.
16:37 CT – Elon noted that Tesla’s demand is strong, especially following the price cuts. The company has seen its strongest orders in January 2023, almost twice as much as production. “We think demand will be good despite probably a contraction in the auto industry as a whole,” Elon said.
16:35 CT – Here are Elon’s remarks. “It was a fantastic year for Tesla. It was our best year ever, on every level,” he said.
16:32 CT – And it starts! Elon, Zach, and other executives are present. Martin Vicha is opening the call.
16:29 CT – One minute to go! Who thinks this is going to start in Elon Time? The results are positive though, so Tesla may start this earnings call early.
16:15 CT – This coming call will definitely be interesting. Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2022 vehicle delivery and production report was framed so negatively that it’s almost a pleasant surprise to see the company’s numbers showing a lot of strength. Tesla posted great results in Q4, so it would be interesting to see exactly what the company’s executives would discuss in the earnings call.
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2022 earnings call webcast can be viewed below.
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Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) closed at an all-time high on Tuesday, jumping over 3 percent during the day and finishing at $489.88.
The price beats the previous record close, which was $479.86.
Shares have had a crazy year, dipping more than 40 percent from the start of the year. The stock then started to recover once again around late April, when its price started to climb back up from the low $200 level.
This week, Tesla started to climb toward its highest levels ever, as it was revealed on Sunday that the company was testing driverless Robotaxis in Austin. The spike in value pushed the company’s valuation to $1.63 trillion.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
It is the seventh-most valuable company on the market currently, trailing Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta.
Shares closed up $14.57 today, up over 3 percent.
The stock has gone through a lot this year, as previously mentioned. Shares tumbled in Q1 due to CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which pulled his attention away from his companies and left a major overhang on their valuations.
However, things started to rebound halfway through the year, and as the government started to phase out the $7,500 tax credit, demand spiked as consumers tried to take advantage of it.
Q3 deliveries were the highest in company history, and Tesla responded to the loss of the tax credit with the launch of the Model 3 and Model Y Standard.
Additionally, analysts have announced high expectations this week for the company on Wall Street as Robotaxi continues to be the focus. With autonomy within Tesla’s sights, things are moving in the direction of Robotaxi being a major catalyst for growth on the Street in the coming year.
Elon Musk
Tesla needs to come through on this one Robotaxi metric, analyst says
“We think the key focus from here will be how fast Tesla can scale driverless operations (including if Tesla’s approach to software/hardware allows it to scale significantly faster than competitors, as the company has argued), and on profitability.”
Tesla needs to come through on this one Robotaxi metric, Mark Delaney of Goldman Sachs says.
Tesla is in the process of rolling out its Robotaxi platform to areas outside of Austin and the California Bay Area. It has plans to launch in five additional cities, including Houston, Dallas, Miami, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.
However, the company’s expansion is not what the focus needs to be, according to Delaney. It’s the speed of deployment.
The analyst said:
“We think the key focus from here will be how fast Tesla can scale driverless operations (including if Tesla’s approach to software/hardware allows it to scale significantly faster than competitors, as the company has argued), and on profitability.”
Profitability will come as the Robotaxi fleet expands. Making that money will be dependent on when Tesla can initiate rides in more areas, giving more customers access to the program.
There are some additional things that the company needs to make happen ahead of the major Robotaxi expansion, one of those things is launching driverless rides in Austin, the first city in which it launched the program.
This week, Tesla started testing driverless Robotaxi rides in Austin, as two different Model Y units were spotted with no occupants, a huge step in the company’s plans for the ride-sharing platform.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
CEO Elon Musk has been hoping to remove Safety Monitors from Robotaxis in Austin for several months, first mentioning the plan to have them out by the end of 2025 in September. He confirmed on Sunday that Tesla had officially removed vehicle occupants and started testing truly unsupervised rides.
Although Safety Monitors in Austin have been sitting in the passenger’s seat, they have still had the ability to override things in case of an emergency. After all, the ultimate goal was safety and avoiding any accidents or injuries.
Goldman Sachs reiterated its ‘Neutral’ rating and its $400 price target. Delaney said, “Tesla is making progress with its autonomous technology,” and recent developments make it evident that this is true.
Investor's Corner
Tesla gets bold Robotaxi prediction from Wall Street firm
Last week, Andrew Percoco took over Tesla analysis for Morgan Stanley from Adam Jonas, who covered the stock for years. Percoco seems to be less optimistic and bullish on Tesla shares, while still being fair and balanced in his analysis.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) received a bold Robotaxi prediction from Morgan Stanley, which anticipates a dramatic increase in the size of the company’s autonomous ride-hailing suite in the coming years.
Last week, Andrew Percoco took over Tesla analysis for Morgan Stanley from Adam Jonas, who covered the stock for years. Percoco seems to be less optimistic and bullish on Tesla shares, while still being fair and balanced in his analysis.
Percoco dug into the Robotaxi fleet and its expansion in the coming years in his latest note, released on Tuesday. The firm expects Tesla to increase the Robotaxi fleet size to 1,000 vehicles in 2026. However, that’s small-scale compared to what they expect from Tesla in a decade.
Tesla expands Robotaxi app access once again, this time on a global scale
By 2035, Morgan Stanley believes there will be one million Robotaxis on the road across multiple cities, a major jump and a considerable fleet size. We assume this means the fleet of vehicles Tesla will operate internally, and not including passenger-owned vehicles that could be added through software updates.
He also listed three specific catalysts that investors should pay attention to, as these will represent the company being on track to achieve its Robotaxi dreams:
- Opening Robotaxi to the public without a Safety Monitor. Timing is unclear, but it appears that Tesla is getting closer by the day.
- Improvement in safety metrics without the Safety Monitor. Tesla’s ability to improve its safety metrics as it scales miles driven without the Safety Monitor is imperative as it looks to scale in new states and cities in 2026.
- Cybercab start of production, targeted for April 2026. Tesla’s Cybercab is a purpose-built vehicle (no steering wheel or pedals, only two seats) that is expected to be produced through its state-of-the-art unboxed manufacturing process, offering further cost reductions and thus accelerating adoption over time.
Robotaxi stands to be one of Tesla’s most significant revenue contributors, especially as the company plans to continue expanding its ride-hailing service across the world in the coming years.
Its current deployment strategy is controlled and conservative to avoid any drastic and potentially program-ruining incidents.
So far, the program, which is active in Austin and the California Bay Area, has been widely successful.
Tesla Cybercab is changing the look of Austin’s roads, and it’s not even in production yet
Tesla celebrates 9 million vehicles produced globally
