Image source, Getty Images
- author, Joao da Silva
- Role, Business Correspondent
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the electric car maker will start producing and using humanoid robots starting next year.
In a social media post, Musk said the robots will first be used by Tesla, which will start manufacturing them for sale in 2026.
The tech billionaire had previously said he expected the robot, called Optimus, to be ready for use in Tesla factories by the end of this year.
Other companies, including Honda and Boston Dynamics, are developing their own humanoid robots.
“Tesla will have humanoid robots that are really useful in low-volume production for internal use at Tesla next year, and hopefully high-volume for other companies in 2026,” Musk said on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
This comes just one day before Tesla is scheduled to announce its latest financial results.
The company’s shares ended trading in New York on Monday up more than 5%.
The company said it aims to build an “autonomous humanoid robot” to perform “unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks.”
Musk has previously said Tesla aims to mass-produce the robots and have them cost less than $20,000 (£17,900) each.
He is known for setting ambitious timelines for his companies, which he does not always stick to.
In 2019, he said he felt “very confident” that Tesla would have self-driving taxis on the road by the following year.
Earlier this year, Mr Musk said the long-awaited robotaxi would be unveiled on August 8.
Last week, he appeared to confirm a report that the event would be postponed.
Mr Musk did not specify a new date, but said he had requested a change to the front of the car.
“The extra time allows us to show some other things,” he wrote.
This came after Bloomberg News reported that the event had been postponed to October.
Mr Musk’s business is increasingly focused on technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and robotics at a time when demand for electric vehicles is slowing.
