Tesla to have humanoid robots for internal use in 2025, Musk says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Visitors look at the second generation of Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus in Shanghai on July 5, 2024.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
AUSTIN – Tesla will have humanoid robots in “low production” for the company’s internal use in 2025, CEO Elon Musk said on July 22, months after he announced a rollout by the end of 2024.
The automaker will have the robots “hopefully” in high production for other companies in 2026, Mr Musk said in a post on social media platform X.
He said in April that the Tesla robot, called Optimus, would be able to perform tasks in a factory by the end of 2024 and could be ready for sale as soon as the end of 2025.
Humanoid robots have been in development for several years by Japan’s Honda and Hyundai Motor’s Boston Dynamics.
Companies are betting on them to meet potential labour shortages and perform repetitive tasks that could be dangerous or tedious such as logistics, warehousing and manufacturing.
Mr Musk has a history of failing to fulfil bold promises to Wall Street.
In 2019, he told investors that Tesla would be operating a network of “robotaxi” autonomous cars by 2020.
Last week, he signalled that the robotaxi would take more time, saying he requested “an important design change” to the front of the vehicle.
Tesla put out the first generation of its Optimus robot
Mr Musk has, in recent months, pivoted to focus on artificial intelligence, autonomous driving software, robotaxis and the Optimus robot amid tapering demand for EVs, which make up more than 80 per cent of Tesla’s quarterly revenue.
Tesla is set to report its second-quarter results on July 23, with Wall Street expecting margins to hit a more than five-year low, but focus will also be on Mr Musk’s ambitious plans for robotaxis and AI products. REUTERS
