Tesla to Use Optimus Humanoid Robots for Robotaxi Charging, Wireless Remains Long-Term Goal

Tesla executives revealed that the company plans to use Optimus humanoid robots to handle charging for its Robotaxi fleet, while continuing development of wireless charging systems. Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering, and Eric Earley, head of the Cybercab program, said in an interview that they hope Optimus will soon be able to plug and unplug charging cables for the autonomous vehicles.

Currently, Tesla still relies on workers to manually charge Robotaxis. Recent footage from a Supercharger station in Austin shows employees plugging in Cybercab and Model Y driverless taxis after arrival, and repositioning vehicles that stop short of the chargers. The Supercharger network is currently Cybercab's only charging option, as the vehicle does not support AC charging and instead uses a NACS port hidden in the rear bumper.

Moravy and Earley explained that retaining the port allows Cybercab to use existing charging infrastructure. Optimus is seen as an interim step, with Tesla working on more automated charging methods. Earlier this year, Tesla received U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for its Cybercab wireless charging plans and intends to build a Robotaxi charging hub in Austin with 80 wireless charging units.

Still, wireless charging is unlikely to arrive soon. Tesla only recently started early production of Optimus at its Fremont factory, with first customer deliveries planned for 2027. Even if Optimus enters charging stations before then, Cybercab wireless charging may not be ready in 2027, and the system still needs time to reach the maturity and reliability required for operations.

Optimus could also help with fleet maintenance and delivery work in the future. Moravy and Earley described Cybercab, Optimus, and Robovan as key examples of physical AI, saying "the combination of the three will be excellent."