Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing pilot in Austin has drawn a favorable verdict from William Blair after analyst Jed Dorsheimer completed several trips in the service last week. In a research note dated 19 Aug., Dorsheimer said the robotaxi drove with a “smooth, human-like” style and charged roughly half the price of comparable Uber fares, underlining what he called “clear pricing power” ahead of a planned commercial launch in September. Despite the positive field test, William Blair reiterated a Market Perform rating on Tesla, citing near-term margin headwinds from anticipated regulatory cuts and ongoing spending tied to the rollout. Still, the broker suggested the technology could allow Tesla to leapfrog current autonomous leaders such as Waymo and Zoox once the service scales. Tesla is already widening the program’s footprint: the company has begun recruiting robotaxi vehicle operators in Chicago, expanded invitation-only access in the Bay Area, and pushed a software update that keeps vehicles locked until riders approach, a feature aimed at a broader public rollout next month. The progress has fed bullish long-term projections elsewhere on Wall Street. A new ARK Invest report estimates robotaxis could account for about 90 percent of Tesla’s enterprise value within several years and sees the global autonomous ride-hail market reaching roughly $10 trillion by 2030.