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How will Tesla perform in Mr. Trump’s America?

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To say the results of the 2016 election were surprising is a gross understatement. That’s like saying the the national debt is rather a lot of money. What will a Trump presidency mean to Elon Musk and Tesla Motors? The answer is, it’s too early to tell. But we can make some (hopefully) educated guesses.

First and foremost, Trump is a champion of American companies providing jobs for Americans. Tesla has taken an abandoned factory in Fremont, California and turned it into one of the premier automobile manufacturing facilities in the world. And that’s just for openers.

Tesla has just announced it has acquired Grohmann Engineering, a highly respected German engineering firm located in in the city of Prüm near the border with Belgium and Luxembourg. With help from Grohmann, Musk wants to show the world how to increase production by a factor of ten by ‘building the machine that builds the machine’. That translates into higher productivity, something any businessman can understand.

Musk is committed to building a sustainable future while President-elect Trump is committed to a “Drill, baby, drill” mentality. Green Tech Media weighs in with the opinion that Trump will simply ignore the Paris climate accord and dismantle Obama’s Clean Power Plan. He undoubtedly will rein in the power of the EPA. What effect will that have on CAFE rules? We simply don’t know but no one should be surprised if vehicle efficiency targets for car companies become considerably watered down over the next few years.

Musk has always challenged the other car companies to build “compelling electric cars” but few have accepted the challenge. Most give the appearance of being dragged kicking and screaming into the zero emissions future while they continue to build every large truck and SUV they can weld, bolt, and screw together. One thing seems clear. Incentives for electric vehicles and for building a national EV charging infrastructure will likely be reduced in a Trump administration or eliminated all together.

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That would not seem to be a major issue for Tesla Motors, whose current customers are mostly able to afford the products Tesla makes with or without incentives. But it could be an issue for at least some of the 373,000 Model 3 reservation holders. It is more likely that SolarCity’s rooftop solar business will be negatively impacted by a Trump administration. The President-elect has said publicly he doesn’t believe government should pick winners and losers in the commercial world. Utility companies may find it easier to resist encroachment on their business model from rooftop solar with Trump at the helm.

Elon told CNBC News on November 4 that he had hoped Donald Trump would not get the nomination and that Hillary Clinton’s climate policies were more in tune with his own preferences. He went on to say he now felt a bit stronger that Trump was “not the right guy, he just doesn’t seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States.”

Will Musk and Trump be able to do business? Trump has to be a big supporter of American business but for Musk, the idea of his zero emissions cars with electricity derived from burning more coal and more natural gas extracted from our national parks and public lands has to be a bitter pill to swallow.

For the moment, America has said it doesn’t give a damn about sustainability, even though 60% of people tell the pollsters that building a green economy is high on their wish list. For now, “cognitive dissonance” is the order of the day. The people have spoken and their message is they want good jobs and lots of them sooner rather than later. A lot of people have taken Donald Trump at his word that he can provide them.

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It is doubtful that Trumps’ victory will impact the fate of Tesla Motors or SolarCity negatively. Tesla has too much momentum built up and solar power is poised to supplant fossil fuels and nuclear simply because it costs less. Solar won’t need incentives if it is cheaper than the alternatives. Now electric cars will need to get less expensive to appeal to mainstream buyers.

Investor's Corner

Tesla gets its best analysis from Morgan Stanley as ‘it’s all about to change’

He maintained its ‘Overweight’ rating and the $410 price target Morgan Stanley had on the stock.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has gotten perhaps its best analysis from Morgan Stanley in quite some time, as the Wall Street firm claims that “it’s all about to change.”

That phrase could be used for both the company’s status and the world in general.

Analyst Adam Jonas said in a new note on Thursday to investors that Tesla could be one of the major winners in terms of the global transition from what it is now to what it will be.

He describes the global shift that will occur over the next few years:

“Have you interacted with a robot today? Have you even seen a robot today? No? Well, take a mental picture because it’s all about to change. When we meet someone who has never been in a Waymo or a Tesla Cybercab (which is most people), we frequently see a wince and a response such as ‘I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable getting in a car without a driver.’ We imagine going back in time to 1903 and asking people if they’d feel comfortable in an airplane.’”

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The same technological revolutions that have occurred over the past 150 years will continue to occur again and again. We are on the verge of another, Jonas believes, as companies like Tesla are working on artificial intelligence tech, which includes changing the way we look at things like transportation and labor.

Jonas includes an interesting tidbit in his note about how humanoid robots could change wages, and how it could work into the advantage of Tesla, especially as it is developing its own Optimus robot:

“We estimate 1 humanoid robot at $5/hour can do the work of 2 humans at $25/hour, generating an NPV of approximately $200k/humanoid. 1 robot shaped car can potentially drive down cost/mile of a ride share vehicle to <$0.20 mile (1/10th human-driven ride-share).”

Jonas sees Tesla as a key player in how AI will impact things like manufacturing and various automotive industries, and he believes there is long-term potential for AI, robomobility, and even autonomous eVTOL platforms.

Tesla stock: Morgan Stanley says eVTOL is calling Elon Musk for new chapter

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He maintained its ‘Overweight’ rating and the $410 price target Morgan Stanley had on the stock.

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Tesla stock gets crazy prediction from CEO Elon Musk

Musk says this is what it would take to be a millionaire from a Tesla investment right now.

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A red Tesla Roadster driving around a turn
(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) got a crazy prediction from CEO Elon Musk recently, as the future of the company seems to be moving more toward AI, autonomy, and robotics, and away from automotive, which is what it has traditionally been recognized as.

Over the past few years, as Tesla has prioritized its Full Self-Driving suite, its rollout of a dedicated Robotaxi program, and the development of the Optimus bot, the company has gained a new reputation from analysts.

It was always looked at as a stock with tremendous potential by many Wall Street firms, some more than others.

The most bullish analysts, like Cathie Wood of ARK Invest, believe the company will eventually reach a multi-trillion-dollar valuation and a share price of over $2,000. Her $2,600 price target does not include any contributions of Optimus. Instead, it leans on Full Self-Driving and Robotaxi.

Tesla tops Cathie Wood’s stock picks, predicts $2,600 surge

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Based on where the company is now, there are a lot of potential catalysts. The Robotaxi expansion, as well as affordable vehicles, its prowess in AI and Robotics, and its powerful energy division are all arguments for investment.

One X user said that a $150,000 investment in Tesla right now would likely make you a millionaire. Musk said he thinks that sentiment is “probably correct.”

He’s echoed this belief in recent earnings calls, including the one for Q2, which happened in July:

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“I do think if Tesla continues to execute well with vehicle autonomy and humanoid robot autonomy, it will be the most valuable company in the world. A lot of execution between here and there. It doesn’t just happen. Provided we execute very well, I think Tesla has a shot at being the most valuable company in the world. Obviously, I am extremely optimistic about the future of the company.”

Tesla is trading at $316.50 at the time of writing, and has a market cap of just under $1 trillion.

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Tesla stock gets another analysis from Jim Cramer, and investors will like it

“Tesla is morphing right now. It’s in transition from being a car company to being a technology company.”

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Credit: CNBC Television/YouTube

Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) got its latest analysis from Jim Cramer, and investors will like what he has to say.

Cramer has flip-flopped his thoughts on Tesla shares many times over the years. One time, he said CEO Elon Musk was a genius; the next, he said Ford stock was a better play. He’s always changing his tune.

However, Cramer’s most recent analysis is of a bullish tone, as he talks about the company’s evolution from an automaker to a tech powerhouse. He made the comments on CNBC’s Mad Money:

“Tesla is morphing right now. It’s in transition from being a car company to being a technology company. You wanna be in there because the tech is worth a lot more than what it’s selling for right now. Don’t care where you bought it, care where it’s going to.”

Tesla has always been looked at by the mainstream media as an automaker. While that is its main business currently, Tesla has always had other divisions: Energy, Solar, Charging, AI, and Robotics. Some came after others, but the important point is that Tesla has not been an automaker exclusively for a decade.

It launched Powerwall and Powerpack in April 2015, marking the start of Tesla Energy.

But Cramer has a point here: Tesla is truly becoming much more than a car company, and it is turning into an AI and overall tech company more than ever before. Eventually, it will be recognized as such, more so than it will be as an automotive company.

Cramer’s comments also follow a recent prediction by Musk, who stated on X that he believes a $150,000 investment in Tesla shares right now would eventually turn someone into a millionaire:

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Musk has said he believes Tesla could be headed to a serious increase in valuation. Eventually, it could become the most valuable company in the world. He said this during the Q2 Earnings Call:

“I do think if Tesla continues to execute well with vehicle autonomy and humanoid robot autonomy, it will be the most valuable company in the world. A lot of execution between here and there. It doesn’t just happen. Provided we execute very well, I think Tesla has a shot at being the most valuable company in the world. Obviously, I am extremely optimistic about the future of the company.”

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