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Tesla Robotaxi Now Runs 24/7 in Every City · Musk: Optimus Will "Probably" Be Rented, Not Sold

A half-sun half-moon 24-hour clock above a driverless car and a humanoid robot with a rental key tag, next to a surprised duck

Robotaxi now runs around the clock

  • Tesla's official Robotaxi account on X said on November 12 that rides "now run 24/7 in every city" where the service is available.
  • That covers eight unsupervised markets: Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth in Texas, and Miami, Orlando and Tampa in Florida. Rides in the steering-wheel-free Cybercab are still limited to Austin.
  • Hours grew step by step: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in August, then until 11 p.m., midnight and 2 a.m. in October, and this week the last overnight gap closed.
  • In early October Musk said the hardest part of night driving was spotting animals, describing "grey kittens on grey tarmac in the dark."

What's still unfinished

  • The original plan was to launch 24/7 service in October together with FSD v15, the new self-driving software, but it slipped by a few weeks. v15 has not yet shipped to customer cars.
  • Tesla says only part of each city's fleet runs without a safety monitor and does not disclose the split. In California's Bay Area, a safety driver rides along as state law requires.
  • Phoenix, Las Vegas and Jacksonville are being prepared. On its October earnings call, Tesla said customer-owned cars could join the Robotaxi fleet around Q2 2027.

Optimus: "I think probably rent them"

  • Asked at an investment conference whether Tesla would sell or rent its Optimus humanoid robot, Musk answered, "I think probably rent them." He gave no rental price.
  • He said each robot would cost about $30,000 to build at first, falling toward about $20,000.
  • Tesla is preparing a Fremont line planned for 1 million units a year, and early production began in October. Musk expects reaching full speed to take at least a year.
  • Deliveries to outside companies are planned around the end of 2027, now likely as rentals. A version using the new AI5 chip is expected around April 2027.

Sources: Not a Tesla App – Tesla Robotaxi Now Runs 24/7 in Every City · Not a Tesla App – Musk: Tesla Will Rent Optimus Robots · The Charge Port – Robotaxi Status Tracker

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