Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal probes and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles.

Tesla shares moved higher in early Thursday trading, but remained mired in a weeks-long slump, as a top Wall Street analysts suggests the recent bearish moves belie what is still a compelling near-term story for the world's biggest EV maker.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising investors robotaxis for over a decade — and with little to show for it. Now, Musk has once again reiterated that his electric vehicle (EV) firm will debut its robotaxis in Austin,