Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O), said on Monday that the business will have humanoid robots in “low production” for internal usage starting next year. This comes months after Musk had promised a deployment by the end of 2024.
In a post that opens a new tab on social media site X, Musk stated that the company will “hopefully” have the robots in high production for other businesses in 2026. Optimus, the Tesla robot, will be able to carry out jobs at the plant by the end of this year, and Musk had stated in April that it would be ready for sale as early as the end of 2025.
For a number of years, Boston Dynamics of Hyundai Motor and Honda of Japan have been working on humanoid robot development. Businesses are depending on them to handle labor shortages in the future and to do labor-intensive, repetitive jobs like manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics that may be hazardous or tiresome.
Musk has a track record of betraying audacious pledges made to Wall Street. He assured investors in 2019 that by 2020, Tesla will run a network of self-driving “robotaxi” vehicles. He hinted last week that a robotaxi unveiling may take longer than expected, stating he had asked for “an important design change” to the vehicle’s front.
Known as Bumblebee, Tesla released the first iteration of its Optimus robot in September 2022. A video showing the company’s second-generation bipedal robot folding a T-shirt at its facilities was uploaded this year.
With demand for electric vehicles (EVs) leveling off, Musk has shifted his attention in recent months to artificial intelligence, autonomous driving software, robotaxis, and the Optimus robot. EV sales account for more than 80% of Tesla’s quarterly income.
Wall Street is anticipating Tesla to publish second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, with margins falling to a level that is more than five years below previous levels. However, Musk’s lofty plans for robotaxis and AI technologies will also be the center of attention.
