Tesla Robotaxi Goes Nonstop; Robots Begin at Optimus Academy

Tesla’s Robotaxi service now operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week in every location it serves. CEO Elon Musk made the announcement on X, noting that each Robotaxi "works 168 hours a week."

In a separate post, Musk directed attention to the "Optimus Academy," a training center for the company’s humanoid robots.

Robotaxi Extends to Continuous Operation

The Robotaxi account stated that the service is now available 24/7 "in every city we’re available in."

Robotaxi works 168 hours a week https://t.co/C9s5Puk2m5

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2026

Working 168 hours straight, a single Robotaxi logs an amount equivalent to about four 40-hour workweeks.

Before this expansion, the Robotaxi fleet would stop running overnight. Starting in late October, the operating window has been widening, and passengers can now book a ride at any hour in the service zone.

Tesla lists eight Robotaxi cities in Texas and Florida, with San Antonio the most recent location. The firm also runs a ride-hailing service with safety drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area, using mostly Model Y cars.

For the time being, the two-seat Cybercab — which is slated to replace Cybertruck production at Tesla’s Texas plant in 2027 — runs only in Austin.

Why Musk Wants 20,000 Bots in Training

Musk’s second post included a video from a Tesla-focused creator with the title "Why Tesla Is Building A School For Robots." He tied the clip to the Optimus Academy, which was first brought up on Tesla’s third-quarter earnings conference call.

Optimus Academy

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2026

On that call, Musk said Tesla needs "on the order of 10,000 or 20,000 bots" that master tasks through self-play.

The Robotaxi system draws on driving data from millions of customer-owned vehicles. Unlike Robotaxi, Optimus does not have a large fleet to learn from, so the bots will first observe humans and then hone skills by trial and error.

Musk compared this learning curve to raising a toddler.

Initially, they’re sort of wobbly and they don’t know how to do things.

Elon Musk, Tesla CEO

Meanwhile, Tesla shares have rebounded toward $400 after a steep drop earlier this month, though they remain lower for the year overall. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives views robotaxis and Optimus as the company’s next growth engines. ARK Invest similarly ties most of Tesla’s projected 2031 value to a business that does not involve selling cars.

For now, the Robotaxi is the element of Musk’s plan that is already running full-time. The robots are still in the educational phase, much like the real-world Optimus Prime figure Musk has hinted at.