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Tesla Model 2 unveiling predictions for the Robotaxi event
Gene Munster and Brian Baker from Deepwater shared their exceptions for Tesla’s robotaxi event. The TSLA analysts predict the company will unveil a stripped-down Model 3 during the Robotaxi event.
Deepwater analysts believe Tesla will unveil three vehicles during the ‘We, Robot’ event: the Model 2, Cybervan, and Cybercab or robotaxi.
Munster theorizes that the Model 2 will be a stripped-down version of the Model 3 because Elon Musk delayed Tesla’s Robotaxi event to make “important changes“ to the cybercab vehicle. The TSLA bull reasons that if Musk is still making changes to the design of the cybercab (aka robotaxi), then production will likely get pushed back as well.
In a recent Deepwater note, Munster and Baker write that Tesla will likely focus on vehicles nearing production for the event but tease upcoming products like the Cybervan and Optimus. Munster expects Tesla Model 2 production to start in late 2025, which he notes is later than Elon Musk’s estimate during the Q2 2024 earnings call.
“We won’t go much into the product roadmap here because that is reserved for product announcement events. But we are on track to deliver a more affordable model in the first half of next year,” Musk said in the second quarter.
The Model 2 is expected to start at $25,000. Below are Munster’s expectations for robotaxi, Model 2, and the Cybervan.
1. Robotaxi: I expect we will see a physical prototype of the Robotaxi. We also believe the model will have a futuristic feel, like that of the Cybertruck, without a steering wheel, pedals, or mirrors. Additionally, the reveal will include a “demo” of the Robotaxi in action, summoned by the Tesla ride-hailing app and showing off its autonomous capabilities by maneuvering some sort of track or route.
2. Model 2: The $25k Model 2 (aka Model A) will be previewed with no working prototype. I expect this vehicle that will share similarities with the Robotaxi. While Model 2 will have a steering wheel, pedals, and mirrors, it won’t require FSD to operate. The body will be distinguishable from the Robotaxi, but overall will be on the same production as Robotaxi.
3. Cybervan: In a similar surprise to the updated Roadster driving out of the back of the Semi at the Semi launch, I expect Elon will unveil plans for a fully autonomous passenger van (Robotaxi XL for 8-10 people). While the passenger van will be light on Tesla’s signature design, it will be heavy on leveraging autonomy for the ride-hailing vision of affordable transportation. This vehicle will be focused on dense urban areas and could play a role in the future of public transportation, which we estimate expands the ride-hailing addressable market by 20%.
If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_0100110.
Tesla’s Supercharger Diner in Los Angeles dominated the company’s global usage rankings after just one year, proving the concept is more than just a one-off novelty location that will fade away.
The performance could incite the company to build more locations, something that CEO Elon Musk has hinted at for some time.
Tesla’s Supercharger Diner delivered 21.2 GWh of energy in its first year of operation, the company’s head of Charging, Max de Zegher, revealed on X. Of the top 10 most utilized Supercharger locations in Tesla’s global infrastructure, the Diner in Los Angeles was the most used by drivers, and it wasn’t particularly close:
Tesla Diner opened exactly 1 year ago. Inspiring that futuristic places like this exist.
It’s our highest usage Supercharger in the world: 21.2 GWh delivered in a year, 1.6k sessions/day.
Top 10 Superchargers by energy delivered: https://t.co/9YvJ8lw696 pic.twitter.com/koB3AUJHws
— Max (@MdeZegher) July 21, 2026
On its launch day one year ago, nobody was too sure what the Tesla Diner would be about. It seemed like an interesting concept, and considering it had been in the works for years, it was a highly anticipated launch that many were looking forward to.
Based on its success, we could see additional Diners with Superchargers built throughout the United States, and potentially beyond. Musk has said on several occasions that the company would be willing to bring the Diner idea to more markets.
Tesla makes major change at Supercharger Diner amid epic demand
Of the markets that Musk has mentioned, both Palo Alto and Austin have come to be perceived as ideal selections. However, there are no concrete plans as of now to build new Supercharger Diners anywhere; the location on Santa Monica Boulevard will remain the exclusive spot to pick up Tesla-inspired eats, at least for the time being.
Tesla short sellers won big following the company’s massive fall on Wall Street after it reported subpar Earnings on Wednesday.
Tesla short sellers collected about $4.12 billion in single-day profits on Thursday, according to Bloomberg. Shares fell as much as 15 percent during Thursday’s session. It closed as one of the worst days for Tesla on Wall Street in the past three years.
Investors sold off the stock after Tesla said it would aggressively direct its spending toward AI and its Optimus robot project. The company had record revenues, which were driven by one of the strongest quarters in terms of vehicle deliveries in company history.
However, it missed EPS estimates by reporting just $0.33, a far cry from the $0.53 analysts expected.
S3 Partners reported that about 3 percent of Tesla’s outstanding stock is sold short. Managing Director at S3, Ihor Dusaniwsky, provided the short seller’s potential profit, as well as another figure: shorts have likely had paper gains of $8.92 billion this year, as Tesla shares are down 30 percent in 2026.
Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue
Tesla has burned short sellers many times in the past, but the company’s latest Earnings Call was a chance for those skeptics to taste some payback. Although the company gave some very transparent information regarding future projects, the rollout of Robotaxi, Optimus, and Semi, many investors took their profits on Thursday.
Notable short sellers like Michael Burry have been transparent about their skepticism around Tesla shares. Burry just revealed three weeks ago that he had opened up a new short on the stock, stating he shorted Tesla shares at $416.22. “Happy it jumped back to this level,” he said in a blog post.
At the time of publication, Tesla shares were down about 3 percent and the stock was trading at $309.92.
Tesla’s long-standing saga regarding its door handles and a manual release has entered its latest chapter, and as a result, a big change is coming.
On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denied Tesla’s petition that was seeking a defect investigation into roughly 180,000 Model 3 vehicles for an issue involving the emergency mechanical door release.
🚨 The NHTSA denied a petition from Tesla that would have thrown out concerns regarding its door handles.
NHTSA said Tesla’s petition did not present evidence of a safety-related defect warranting an investigation. The agency said a rulemaking process would be a better strategy. pic.twitter.com/j6PzUBM1mT
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 24, 2026
NHTSA said that Tesla’s petition did not present evidence of a safety-related defect in the door handles or their emergency releases. Instead, the agency determined that it would rather solve the issue of the lack of labeling or location of emergency mechanical door releases and the federal safety rules that govern them.
Essentially, the NHTSA wants to create and enforce rules that would require automakers to make emergency door latch releases more clearly labeled in a car. Despite a Tesla having manual door releases on all four passenger doors, many people do not know they exist or how they work.
Tesla addresses door handle complaints with simple engineering fix
In recent times, Tesla has faced some criticism involving its door handles, specifically because some occupants have reported that they are unable to exit their vehicles after losing power. The door handles on a Tesla are electronically operated, but in the event that the 12V battery dies, there is a manual release that can be used.
The NHTSA only identified a single complaint involving the mechanical door releases: a 2022 Model 3 owner said the release was concealed and unlabeled after the vehicle lost power after a front-end collision. It has also already started to create a separate rulemaking process to make emergency door-egress systems more obvious.
It should be noted that all Teslas have mechanical emergency door releases, but they are placed in various locations as the vehicles have aged and been redesigned from year to year. Refer to the safety manual for your vehicle if you have any confusion about where the emergency releases are and how they work.
Tesla’s Supercharger Diner probably just secured more locations
Tesla short sellers win big after shares fall after earnings
