KATHMANDU: Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company will produce and deploy humanoid robots beginning next year. Optimus robots will initially be used internally within Tesla before the company starts selling them to other companies in 2026. Musk earlier said he was expecting these robots to work in Tesla factories at the end of this year.
According to a social media update by Musk on Monday, Tesla plans to produce these humanoid robots at low volume for internal use next year, then scale up production to more broadly meet market demands by 2026. The news came a day ahead of the release of the electric car maker's latest financial results, during which the company's shares rose more than 5%.
Musk has a target price of less than $20,000 per robot, which places the mass production of the robots in a somewhat ambitious light. That furthers the pattern of big promises he makes for his companies, all of which never materialize according to his offered timelines. Musk earlier predicted Tesla would have self-driving taxis by 2020, a goal that has yet to be realized.
The much-anticipated robotaxi launch, scheduled for August 8, has been postponed, according to Musk, the event may now be pushed back as far as October. Design changes ordered by Musk caused the delay, and he pointed out that the extra time will permit other innovations to be showcased.
It has been developing technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and robotics as the demand for electric vehicles slows. The push into humanoid robots is just part of the way Tesla is building its capacity in emerging technologies.
