Editor's Note: I mentioned in the last Power Trends that Tesla's (TSLA) upcoming "robotaxi" event was a potential gamechanger, perhaps more for other companies than for Tesla itself.
I also mentioned that I have never been in or even seen a self-driving vehicle, but that my colleague Luke Lango has. In fact, he "hails rides" regularly in Phoenix, where Alphabet subsidiary Waymo already has a robust robotaxi business.
I wanted to invite Luke back today to describe one of his experiences, and link to a video he took while riding in a self-driving taxi late at night on his way home from the airport. It's pretty darned cool, and helps make tangible the incredible potential and transformative power they bring to transportation.
Luke is one of the Senior Analysts at our corporate partner, InvestorPlace, and he's been tracking this technology for years – and has already helped his readers pile up serious investment gains with his recommendations. He expects Thursday's Tesla event to convince even the most skeptical among us that driverless vehicles are very real.
You'll also want to join Luke for a special event to further discuss this development– and show us ways to profit from it – on Monday, October 7, at 10 a.m. Eastern. You can sign up and reserve your spot for that event right now by going here.
Luke believes what he calls the "Age of Autonomous Vehicles" is at our doorstep. That's because he's seen it… well, at his own doorstep. I invited him here today to tell us more.
Over to you, Luke... |
The One Way to Get in on Elon Musk's Robotaxi Before Its 10/10 Debut About a month ago, I flew home from a work trip into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It was late. My wife and kids were asleep. So, I fetched a ride from a ride-hailing app. The car arrived. It took me to my home in the suburbs. Dropped me off.
It was a typical ride-hailing experience.
Except for one critical detail...
There was no driver.
The car that picked me up from the airport, drove me through Phoenix, and dropped me off at my house drove itself.
It was a fully autonomous vehicle operated by Waymo.
Waymo is the self-driving unit at Alphabet Inc. (GOOG). They've been working on developing autonomous vehicle technology for over a decade now. In the past few years, they've been quietly testing their technology through autonomous ride-hailing in Phoenix and a few other American cities. Folks in those cities can hail an autonomous Waymo and have it drive them from place to place. I bet many of you live nearby one of them and can try this yourself.
That's what I did for my trip from Phoenix Sky Harbor International to my house.
I recorded a video on the ride home, which you can check out here or by clicking on the image below. 
Here's How It Works After downloading the Waymo One app, I summoned a ride, much in the same way you call an Uber or a Lyft through their apps.
It arrived at the airport pickup location. I unlocked the car with my phone. I stepped into the back of the vehicle. Put down my bags. Buckled my seatbelt. And clicked "Start Ride" on an iPad-like display in the backseat.
The Waymo – which in my case was a Jaguar – drove itself away from the airport, navigated through Phoenix traffic, and, some 30 minutes later, dropped me off safely at my house.
It was a wonderful experience.
And not an isolated one.
Waymo is currently delivering more than 100,000 autonomous rides per week in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
That's a lot of rides!
And they're growing quickly. Just a few months ago, Waymo was only completing about 50,000 rides per week – meaning they've doubled their ride volume in just a few months.
I think that number will double in the next few months, too.
Earlier this summer, Waymo announced that they are expanding their driving area in Phoenix and expanding onto highways. Less than two months ago, they announced expanded driving areas in San Francisco and Los Angeles. And Waymo plans to roll out autonomous rides to Austin and Atlanta.
Plus, the company has partnered with Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER) to autonomously deliver food through Uber Eats in select locations, including Phoenix.
Waymo is firing on all cylinders.
Maybe that's why Alphabet just pumped an extra $5 billion into it. With that much funding, I wouldn't be surprised to see Waymo operating in every major U.S. metro by the end of 2025.
But it isn't just Waymo that is making self-driving cars a reality.
Aurora Innovation Inc. (AUR) is an autonomous trucking company that has partnered with major trucking firms like Paccar, Volvo, and Uber Freight to develop fully self-driving trucks. Kodiak Robotics is a privately held startup focused on making autonomous trucks.
Both are preparing to launch fully autonomous trucks on public roads without safety drivers later this year in Texas. That means that in just a few months, you could see an 18-wheeler on a freeway in Texas hauling goods from city to city.
Aurora also plans to launch autonomous trucks in the Phoenix area soon.
Meanwhile, in China, Baidu Inc. (BIDU) has launched an autonomous ride-hailing service called Apollo Go. That service appears to be just as big as Waymo, completing nearly 100,000 rides per week.
And next week, the world's richest man – Elon Musk – is set to unveil his autonomous vehicle technology platform, dubbed the Tesla Robotaxi, in what some are calling his firm's biggest reveal in years... The Age of Autonomous Vehicles Has Arrived Folks, the writing is on the wall.
With Waymo and Apollo Go each completing about 100,000 autonomous rides per week and expanding rapidly... Aurora and Kodiak preparing to launch fully autonomous trucks on public freeways within months, if not weeks... and Elon Musk set to unveil his self-driving Robotaxi on October 10... we think it is entirely safe to say that...
The Age of Autonomous Vehicles has arrived.
The self-driving cars are here. They are spreading rapidly. And they won't stop spreading until they become ubiquitous across the globe, replacing human-driven cars, trucks, and buses everywhere.
Of course, the arrival of the Age of Autonomous Vehicles also means the arrival of huge opportunities in AV stocks.
The global transportation services market is estimated at over $7 trillion.
Autonomous vehicles will turn that entire $7 trillion industry on its head. It will change everything about everything inside that industry.
Huge investment opportunities should emerge out of all that change.
Of course, the obvious players in this space are Alphabet and Tesla Inc. (TSLA). The former owns Waymo. The latter is about to roll out Robotaxi. If Waymo and Robotaxi scale and take over the global ride-hailing industry – estimated to be an $11 trillion market by 2030 – GOOGL and TSLA stock will be big winners.
But I don't believe they will be the biggest winners.
Alphabet and Tesla are already big, well-established companies. Inherent upside is limited.
But the inherent upside for their potential suppliers is much bigger because they are much smaller.
That's why I believe the best way to play the Age of AVs is to buy stock in the small-cap, lesser-known AV tech suppliers – not the headline operators. The Final Word On Monday, October 7, at 10 a.m. Eastern, I am going to host a timely broadcast to help you understand the importance of the Age of AVs. Just go here to sign up and save your seat.
In that broadcast, I'll detail all the recent groundbreaking developments in the autonomous vehicle industry, including how driverless cars are set to completely transform transportation, save millions of lives, and potentially put up to $30,000 a year in passive income in your pocket.
We'll also dive headlong into the highly anticipated Robotaxi launch that could unlock a staggering $9 trillion in value – bigger than all of Elon Musk's companies combined.
While Musk has been promising self-driving technology for years without much actual evidence, I believe a tiny $3 company holds the key to unlocking this promise. This upcoming Robotaxi event could send shares of this company skyrocketing. During my broadcast, I'll show you how to get the name and ticker of that company... and my entire playbook of the best AV tech supplier stocks to buy right now.
It's your chance to get ahead of the curve and potentially identify the next batch of superstar tech stocks before they explode.
Trust me. You do not want to miss this game-changing broadcast.
Click here to reserve your seat now and position yourself for potentially life-changing gains.
On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. |
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