“`html
Shares of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) rose 9.8% on Monday morning, coinciding with a 0.4% increase in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. The surge follows Tesla’s launch of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas over the weekend, after an earlier delay.
The robotaxi service debuted on Sunday, allowing select riders to hail Model Y vehicles through a dedicated app. Each ride was priced at $4.20 and included a safety monitor in the passenger seat. Despite the lack of a human driver, no incidents were reported during the initial rollout.
Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, hailed the launch as a significant achievement, describing it as the “culmination of a decade of hard work.” While the launch is viewed positively, experts note that Tesla’s robotaxi operation is still limited to a small, controlled area, unlike competitors such as Waymo, which operate in broader environments.
“`
