Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk has tempered down customer expectations of purchasing the company’s dedicated robotaxi offering, the Cybercab, and its humanoid robot called Optimus for about $30,000 each. Musk stated that this would be possible only in the “long-term.”
Production Volumes
According to Musk, production needs to exceed a million a year before the company can sell the two products for about $30,000. He wrote on social media, “We need to reach >1M/year production volumes, but, long-term, yes.” However, it remains unclear if Musk is hinting towards a collective production volume of a million or a million individually for both products.
Elon Musk’s Post
“We need to reach >1M/year production volumes, but, long-term, yes”
Tall Promises
During Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in June, Musk said that there will be at least one humanoid robot for every person in the world in the future, implying a total humanoid robot population of at least 10 billion or more. He also expects to be able to sell Optimus at a price point below $30,000 once it reaches high-volume production.
Future Plans
In July, Musk said that the EV company would have “genuinely useful” humanoid robots in low production for use within its factories next year. The company will “hopefully” increase production for other customers in 2026. As for the Cybercab, Tesla unveiled the car with no pedals or steering wheel in October, with production set to begin “before 2027” and be priced below $30,000.
History of Underdelivering
Musk is known for providing price points that the company cannot deliver. During the Cybertruck’s unveiling in November 2019, Musk presented tentative pricing for the stainless steel truck. However, the actual prices have turned out to be significantly higher, with the dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant now priced at $79,990 in the U.S., and the top-tier tri-motor all-wheel drive priced at a whopping $99,990.
Conclusion
While Elon Musk’s vision for the future of transportation is ambitious, his history of underdelivering on price points raises concerns about the feasibility of his promises. Only time will tell if Tesla can deliver on its promises of affordable robotaxis and humanoid robots.