If you’ve ever seen the original Total Recall film (the 1990 version with Arnold Schwarzenegger), you might remember the Johnny Cab.
This cab had a creepy little robot sitting in the front seat, cracking jokes while it drove Arnold through a futuristic city. No steering wheel. No driver. Just a talking machine on wheels.
Back then, it felt like pure sci-fi. But now? That exact future just became a reality in Austin, Texas – and it could make early investors a fortune.
This week, Tesla Inc. (TSLA) officially launched its first live Robotaxi pilot using a fleet of modified Model Ys, priced at $4.20 a ride. Just like the Johnny Cab, these vehicles come with no pedals, no steering wheel and zero drivers behind the wheel. Just a safety monitor in the passenger seat… for now.
Let me be clear: This isn’t a concept or a prototype. It’s a live service with real passengers.
If you’ve read my previous Market 360 coverage, you may know that these autonomous ride services (aka robotaxis) have been around for a while.
In fact, the race to dominate the self-driving economy has been brewing for years. But make no mistake: This is the beginning of what I believe is the most important transportation shift since the invention of the internal combustion engine.
The Robotaxi Wars have officially begun.
So, in today’s Market 360, I’ll show you who’s already in the fight, why this technology could upend entire industries and how investors can position themselves on the right side of this seismic shift.
Let’s dive in.
The Players in the Robotaxi Wars
Tesla may have fired the latest shot in the robotaxi wars, but it’s not the only contender. As I mentioned previously, this battle has been brewing for years. And the front lines are getting crowded…
Waymo
Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOG) self-driving division, Waymo, has been testing robotaxis for over a decade. It now operates thousands of rides each week in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin. Just this month, it expanded service to Atlanta through a partnership with Uber, allowing users to hail Waymo vehicles directly from the Uber app.
Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER)
Speaking of Uber, after selling off its self-driving unit in 2020, it’s now partnering with companies like Waymo and May Mobility to bring autonomous rides to market. But it hasn’t given up on leading the space… Starting next year, Uber will roll out its own autonomous service in Los Angeles using Volkswagen AG’s (VWAGY) ID.Buzz vans, built in partnership with Volkswagen.
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
Amazon’s Zoox is building its own robotaxis from the ground up. The company recently opened a production facility in California and is targeting Las Vegas for its commercial launch later this year, with San Francisco and Miami in its sights.
Baidu, Inc. (BIDU)
China’s Baidu is the largest robotaxi operator in the world, and it’s about to get bigger. Baidu has its sights set on international expansion, starting with launching its Apollo Go platform in Singapore and Malaysia. I should note that Apollo Go has deployed 1,000 self-driving vehicles worldwide and has already logged over 11 million autonomous rides.
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA)
And let’s not forget that NVIDIA continues to power the brains of the industry, supplying AI hardware and platforms for self-driving technology.
NVIDIA’s self-driving segment brought in $567 million last quarter – up 72% year-over-year. That’s small next to $44 billion in total revenue, but it’s one of their fastest-growing bets.
Longtime readers know that I’ve held NVIDIA for a long time and have no intentions to sell anytime soon. And this is a good reason why… Chances are good that whether a robotaxi is built by Tesla, Waymo, or Zoox – NVIDIA is still getting paid. As CEO Jensen Huang has been pointing out repeatedly, this will be one of the company’s biggest growth drivers in the coming years.
Each of these companies brings something different to the table. Waymo has the head start. Uber has the scale. Baidu has a lock on Asia. Zoox is building from scratch. The fight is on.
I do not know if Waymo (Google), Tesla or Uber/VW will win the autonomous taxi wars that are now unfolding. But I do know this: We’re heading toward a future where we’re no longer driving ourselves – just being transported from place to place in robotaxis as Elon Musk has envisioned.
In fact, McKinsey projects that the global robotaxi market could reach $2 trillion by 2030 – driven by rising demand for urban mobility, falling costs of autonomy, and the massive efficiency gains of driverless fleets.
This Is Just the Beginning
Some investors still think this is five or ten years out. But the rollout is already happening – and the pace is accelerating faster than most people realize.
And here’s the thing: Robotaxis are just one step.
What you’re seeing right now in Austin – and soon, in cities all across America – is just the first proof point of what’s coming, folks.
Cars are learning to drive themselves. Robots are learning to make real-world decisions.
AI is no longer just a buzzword. It’s no longer something that helps you write an email or summarize a book or even potentially replace search engines.
We’re talking about when AI enters the physical world. When it starts having tangible benefits for those who adopt it.
And those that don’t? Well, they get left behind.
But here’s the thing most investors are missing…
If you think the biggest opportunity is investing in Tesla or Waymo or Uber, you’re only seeing part of the picture. The real wealth creation is happening behind the scenes – where next-gen data, predictive tech and AI-powered decision tools are changing how markets move.
And that’s exactly where a new breakthrough from our partners at TradeSmith comes in.
They’ve just launched an AI-powered system designed to spot where the money is flowing – not after the fact, but in real time.
It’s called TradeSmithGPT. And instead of reading data and outputting text or an image, it spots patterns in 120 million market datapoints on more than 2,400 stocks.
It’s an AI-powered tool that’s built to cut through the noise and pinpoint the exact stocks poised to benefit from major market shifts. It’s so sophisticated on the back end that it looks like a high-powered “quant” algorithm used by a major hedge fund… yet it’s easy and intuitive for any investor to be able to use.
The best part? The folks at TradeSmith have opened up access to this powerful new tool.
You can learn all about TradeSmithGPT here.
Just know it’s only open for a limited time, so you won’t want to wait.
Sincerely,
Louis Navellier
Editor, Market 360
The Editor hereby discloses that as of the date of this email, the Editor, directly or indirectly, owns the following securities that are the subject of the commentary, analysis, opinions, advice, or recommendations in, or which are otherwise mentioned in, the essay set forth below:
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA)