Tesla introduces 24-hour robo-taxis, sends Optimus robots to school

Tesla has eliminated overnight service for its autonomous ride-hailing service, Robotaxi. The vehicles are now operating 168 hours a week in all cities where the service is available, CEO Elon Musk said. After gradually expanding operating hours since late October, passengers can request a ride at any time of day or night. The service is available in eight cities in Texas and Florida, and was recently expanded to San Antonio. Tesla also offers driver-assisted rides in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most of the rides are still made with Model Y vehicles, while the two-seat Cybercab is currently only available in Austin. Its production is expected to begin in 2027 at a Texas factory, where it will gradually replace the Cybertruck pickup truck.

In another post on the X social network, Musk also outlined plans for the so-called Optimus Academy, a special training center for humanoid robots. To achieve the goal, Tesla will need between 10,000 and 20,000 robots that will practice various tasks through repetition and independent learning. While the Robotaxi system relies on data from millions of cars, the Optimus robots do not have access to a comparably large fleet. Therefore, they will first learn by observing people, and then refine their skills through their own trial and error. Musk compared the process to a toddler learning, as the robots are initially uncertain and have yet to learn to understand the world around them. Despite the great promises, it remains to be seen in practice how quickly this method of learning will bring reliable results.

In financial markets, Tesla shares have returned to around 362 euros after a recent drop, although they are still losing money on an annual basis. Analysts, including Dan Ives from Wedbush, and the investment fund ARK Invest, strongly link the company's future growth to the development of robotaxis and humanoid robotics.