Tesla to implement humanoid robots as early as 2025

Musk revealed that the robots, which have been in development for several years, are currently being tested and used in Tesla’s Fremont factory. The robots are performing tasks such as sorting battery cells or loading jobs.

The company has previously said that the goal of these robots is to primarily replace humans who perform “unsafe, repetitive, or boring tasks.”

By the end of 2024, Tesla aims to have over 1000 Optimus units working within its factories, with more on the way. The company then has further plans to commercialise the robots, offering them for rental before making them available for sale by the end of 2025.

Musk took to social media platform X to say: “Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026.”

Recent upgrades to the humanoid robots include enhancements to its hand dexterity, increasing from 11 to 22 degrees of freedom, the goal being to enable the bot to perform more complex tasks.

Musk also highlighted the potential impact a successful robotics programme could have, suggesting that their ability to handle various tasks could revolutionise the economy and more.

The next iteration of the Optimus robot, dubbed Optimus 2.0, is expected to be unveiled later this year. This version will likely showcase further improvements and move closer to the final design for mass production. Musk has, rather ambitiously, stated previously that the goal for these mass-produced robots is for them to cost around $20,000, or £17,900. Whether this goal will be upheld remains to be seen.

The increased focus of Tesla on markets outside of its EV endeavours is no surprise. In recent months, Musk has made clear efforts to pivot Tesla into other areas such as AI, autonomous driving, robotaxis, and of course the Optimus robot. This is likely due to demand for EVs suffering in recent quarters, something that makes up just over 80% of Tesla’s revenues.