It’ll take longer to develop than expected
So, this is all undeniably impressive, but when can we expect Tesla’s bots to be ready? Elon Musk says Optimus could start shipping by 2025, but it’s important to note that he tends to be overly optimistic about such timelines.
Indeed, Musk is infamous for terrible ETAs. Tesla’s Cybertruck was supposed to be ready by 2022, but it didn’t release until the end of 2023. Even then, the entry-level Cybertruck model won’t ship out until 2025. Similarly, Tesla has promised autonomous driving technology for years but just issued a recall to warn users they still need to focus when driving.
Optimus could present even more of a challenge. New technologies need abundant beta testing to prove functionality, efficacy, and longevity. Not to mention the obvious safety issues that come with artificially intelligent humanoid robots. Given these factors, it could be many years until Tesla is ready to ship you an Optimus robot.
