Image credit: Getty Images
Image Caption, Elon Musk wants humanoid robots to do the work in Tesla factories by next year Article Information Author, João da Silva Role, Business Reporter
35 minutes ago
Elon Musk, president of electric car maker Tesla, said the company will start producing and using humanoid robots starting next year.
Musk said in a social media post that the robots will first be used by Tesla, with production expected to begin for sale in 2026.
The tech billionaire previously said he expected the robot, called Optimus, to be ready for use in Tesla factories by the end of the year.
Other companies, including Honda and Boston Dynamics, are also developing their own humanoid robots.
“Tesla will be producing a small number of truly useful humanoid robots for our own internal use next year and then hopefully mass producing them for other companies in 2026,” Musk said on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
This comes just one day before Tesla is scheduled to release its latest financial statements.
The company’s shares ended Monday’s trading on Wall Street up more than 5%.
He has previously said that Tesla aims to mass-produce the robots and bring the cost per unit down to less than $20,000 (£17,900).
Musk is known for setting ambitious business plans for his companies, but he hasn’t always been able to deliver on them.
In 2019, he said he was “very confident” that Tesla would have self-driving taxis on the road by the following year.
Musk said earlier this year that the highly anticipated robotaxi would be unveiled on August 8th.
Last week, he appeared to confirm reports that the event would be postponed.
Musk did not give a new date but said he had requested changes to the front of the vehicle.
“If we have some extra time, we can show off a few other things,” he wrote.
This comes after Bloomberg reported that the event had been postponed until October.
Musk’s business has become increasingly focused on technologies such as artificial intelligence, self-driving cars and robotics as demand for electric vehicles slows.