Tesla to start using humanoid bots in 2025, says Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the company will start production of humanoid robots next year, initially for the company’s internal use, before ramping up production for other companies.
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This comes months after the tech billionaire had revealed the company would roll out the robots by the end of this year. Musk has previously made some bold projections about when the 1.7-meter-tall robot would be available for commercial use.
Tesla will utilize the robots internally
In a post on the X platform, Musk revealed he hoped the company would grow into “high production” mode to produce the robots, known as Optimus to sell to other companies in 2026.
“Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026.”
Musk
In April of this year, Musk revealed that Optimus robots would be performing some tasks in the factory by the end of this year, and the company could also start selling the robots as early as the end of 2025.
According to Reuters, humanoid robots are not unique to Tesla alone but have been in development for several years by Japan’s Honda and Hyundai Motor’s Boston Dynamics.
Businesses see great potential with robots to address labor shortages. These can be utilized in performing repetitive tasks that could be tedious such as logistics, manufacturing, and warehousing. They can also be used to carry out potentially dangerous tasks.
Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2024
Musk overpromises the market
According to Reuters, the tech billionaire has a history of failing to meet his bold promises. In 2019, Musk teased investors, promising them that Tesla would be operating a network of “robotaxi” autonomous cars by 2020.
But a week ago, he backtracked on his promises, arguing that the robotaxi would need some more time and that he had requested “an important design change” to the vehicle front.
Also read: Tesla revamps AI and robotics team after extensive layoffs
In September 2022, the automaker put its first generation of its Optimus robot, which was known as Bumblebee. The company showed off a second generation of the robot in a video that showed it folding a T-shirt at the company’s facility.
At another AI Day event, Tesla demonstrated a prototype of the robot as it walked on stage waving at the audience. The company also showed a video of the robot watering plants as well as moving metal bars at its factory.
Musk has also claimed the robot business will one day be worth more than its cars while demand hit as much as 20 billion units. He also said the bot could tap into markets that electric cars could never reach.
The Tesla boss has previously revealed that he expected mass production of the robot and cost less than $20,000 each.
