Tesla CEO Elon Musk is working on another Master Plan. The executive mentioned this during the company’s second quarter earnings call earlier this week. While Musk only shared a few tidbits about his next plan, he did hint at its theme.

Master Plan Part Four

Elon Musk’s Master Plans have been a huge guiding hand for Tesla over the past couple of decades. His first Master Plan, which was published in 2006, featured a pathway towards the production of the Model 3 and energy storage systems. Master Plan, Part Deux, which was published ten years later in 2016, featured a pathway towards a Robotaxi network. 

Master Plan Part 3 was more ambitious, as it presented a case towards a world where there is sustainable energy for the entire planet. Considering the scale and ambitious nature of Master Plan Part 3, it was widely speculated that Elon Musk’s next Master Plan would not be around for some time. During the second quarter earnings call, however, Musk confirmed that he is indeed creating his next big plan.

Master Plan Part 4

Elon Musk mentioned his next Master Plan when a question was asked about the work that goes on inside the Tesla Design Studio during the Q2 2025 earnings call. In response to the inquiry, Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen emphasized that while earnings calls are not the venue for disclosing new product-related information, Tesla is working to ensure that the future remains exciting. Musk agreed, stating that there are lots of exciting things happening in the Tesla Design Studio.

“What’s going to happen over the next several years is a fundamental transformation of the company from a pre-autonomy world to a post-autonomy. And I’m working on a new Master Plan to articulate that to the Tesla team. And there will be some teething pains as you transition from a pre- autonomy to post-autonomy world, but I think the future vision for Tesla is incredibly exciting and will profoundly change the world in a good way,” Musk said.

A Post-Autonomy World

Considering Musk’s comments, it would appear that Master Plan Part 4 will be focused on a path towards what the CEO has been describing as “sustainable abundance.” If Master Plan Part 3 was focused on fostering sustainable energy for the entire planet, Master Plan Part 4 will likely present a path towards abundance in a world populated by self-driving vehicles like the Cybercab and humanoid robots like Optimus.

Master Plan Part 4 will likely have been farfetched just a couple years ago. Yet with Tesla now operating its Robotaxi service in Austin and Optimus V3 expected to enter production next year, the idea of a world filled with “sustainable abundance” does seem quite feasible. It will be ambitious like Elon Musk’s other Master Plans, of course, but it will be attainable. 

Tesla is already producing its Optimus units for its own use, but when the humanoid robot actually starts shipping to consumers, it will likely look like a completely different product. This was, at least, hinted at by Elon Musk during the second quarter earnings call.

Optimus design iterations

When Optimus was initially announced during Tesla’s first AI Day event in 2021, the company only had a static model of the humanoid robot and a literal person in a robot suit dancing on the stage. Over the years, Tesla has showcased increasingly refined versions of its Optimus robot, culminating in V2, which is currently being produced today. 

During the Q1 2025 All-Hands Meeting, CEO Elon Musk told Tesla employees that the company will try to produce its first “legion” of Optimus robots this year. 

At the time, expectations seemed to suggest that Tesla would go ahead and mass-produce Optimus V2 with some refinements, such as hands that have 22 degrees of freedom. Such speculations seemed reasonable since Optimus V2 already moves very well, and its design already looked refined compared to humanoid robots made by other companies. 

Optimus V3 design

During the second quarter 2025 earnings call, Elon Musk clarified that when Optimus enters mass production, the humanoid robot will feature its Version 3 design. This means that the Optimus robots that will be delivered to Tesla’s first consumers will feature a different design compared to the Optimus V2 robots that have been in use by the company since 2023.

Elon Musk seems quite optimistic about Optimus V3’s potential, stating that the design of the humanoid robot would be quite exquisite. He also echoed his previous sentiments about Optimus likely becoming Tesla’s biggest product in the long run.

“The Optimus 3 design, as I mentioned earlier, is, I think, finding the right design. There will be further optimizations, but there are, I think, no fundamental changes that are needed for the Optimus 3 design. It has all the degrees of freedom that you really want or need,” Musk said, later noting that Optimus 3’s design is “exquisite.”

Tesla is yet to tease the design or overall look of Optimus V3, though one could assume that the robot will likely resemble the sleek, humanlike concept that the company showcased in 2021. If Optimus V3 does feature such a look, it would undoubtedly become one of the most futuristic products in the market, even in the coming years.

Tesla is reportedly preparing to launch a Robotaxi pilot program in the Bay Area this weekend, with invites to a select number of customers reportedly being sent out as early as this Friday.

The update was shared in a report from Insider, which cited an internal memo from the electric vehicle maker.

New Robotaxi service launch

According to Insider, the Robotaxi service in the Bay Area is set to launch as soon as Friday. Thus, some Tesla owners in the area should receive invites to use the driverless ride-hailing service. Similar to the Austin pilot, the Robotaxi rides will reportedly be a paid service.

The publication noted that the Robotaxi service’s geofence in its Bay Area launch will be quite large, as it will include Marin, much of the East Bay, San Francisco, and San Jose. This is not surprising as California has long been saturated with Teslas, and it is home to several of the electric vehicle maker’s key facilities.

Unlike the Austin pilot, the Tesla Robotaxi service’s pilot in the Bay Area will use safety drivers seated in the driver’s seat. These drivers will be able to manually take over using the steering wheel and brakes as needed. As per a spokesperson from the California DMV, the agency recently met with Tesla but the company is yet to submit a formal application to operate fully driverless cars. 

Tesla Robotaxi expansion

Interestingly enough, Tesla did tease the release of its Robotaxi service to the Bay Area in its second quarter earnings call. While discussing the service, Tesla VP of Autopilot/AI Software Ashok Elluswamy mentioned that the company will initially be rolling out Robotaxis with safety drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area. He did, however, also highlight that the electric vehicle maker is working hard to get government permission to release the service for consumers.

“The next thing to expand would be in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are working with the government to get approval here and, in the meanwhile, launch the service without the person in the driver seat just to expedite and while we wait for regulatory approval,” he stated.