Elektroautos: Musk schwärmt nach Tesla-Gewinneinbruch von Robotern

Tesla reported a 43% drop in profit to $787 million for the past quarter, compared to a year ago, as the company's sales remained flat at around $28.05 billion. Despite the earnings decline, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed his interest in a potential merger with SpaceX, another company he led. However, the topic of the earnings call was off limits.

The decline in auto sales was expected, as the third quarter of the prior year had been boosted by a special stimulus of $7,500 for purchasing electric vehicles. Following the end of September 2025, when the US President Donald Trump allowed the subsidy to expire, Tesla deliveries surged by 7.4%, with many potential customers wanting to take advantage of the bonus.

However, they experienced a slump like other manufacturers. In the current year, Tesla expanded deliveries partially, but they were down 2% year-over-year in the third quarter. Tesla surpassed analysts' revenue expectations. With regard to robotaxis and humanoid robots, Musk believes Tesla's future lies in producing autonomous vehicles.

However, the company faces strong competition in these areas, as revenue mainly continues to come from electric vehicle sales. Tesla is in the process of producing the first Optimus robots, with the Fremont factory capable of creating a million robots annually. It will likely take at least a year, if not more, to reach 20,000 robots per week, Musk stated.

Some design elements are still being changed. Musk again claimed that Optimus would be the "biggest product in the world." He also mentioned plans for an "Optimus Academy" where the machines would learn to perform tasks. The first robots could be delivered to customers "in roughly a year," he said, initially used in industry for hazardous or repetitive tasks, potentially extending to homes later.

Regarding Cybercab production, Tesla is ramping up the manufacturing of the robotaxi vehicle that has no pedals or steering wheel. The cars have been operating in Austin, Texas so far, with more cities expected to follow. There is also tension with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as the agency requires a pedal in all vehicles.

Tesla has not requested an exemption, and can only put out 2,500 vehicles per year with the current configuration. In the second quarter, Tesla plans to allow first-time owners to earn money by sending their cars out as robotaxis, Musk announced. Musk's approach to autonomous driving is controversial as he insists that Tesla's vehicles rely solely on cameras and forgo other sensors.

Rivals such as Waymo, a Google sister company, use modified conventional cars with the space for a steering wheel left empty for autonomous driving software. Tesla uses some of its Model 3 and Y vehicles with software loaded for autonomous driving. Predictably in the second quarter, Tesla will permit a few car owners to monetize their vehicles as robotaxis, Musk said.

Musk's autonomous driving approach is controversial, as he claims Tesla's vehicles are camera-based and avoid additional expensive laser radar systems used by rivals like Waymo. Many experts believe cameras are not reliable enough to rely on.