Tesla Optimus
Tesla's humanoid: production line started in Fremont in October 2026, but no sales, no price, no verified useful work at scale.
Tesla Optimus, white-and-black body (Gen 2 design lineage), Tesla showroom, November 2025. No Optimus V3 photograph is freely licensed yet · Photo: Sikander · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Optimus is built by Tesla for its own factories. Tesla said on 2026-10-21 that the first production-quality units are coming off a converted Model S/X line in Fremont; Musk called it 'early production' and claimed 20,000 robots per week by the end of 2027. Most units are used internally for testing, training and data collection, the 'V3' public unveiling promised for Q1 2026 had still not happened as of late September, and Musk's earlier targets for 2025 were missed by a wide margin.
Our verdict
The most closely watched humanoid and the one with the longest record of missed deadlines: treat production claims as aspirations until units appear outside Tesla.
Exception: Deliberate Core exception: Optimus meets only criterion 3 (serious developer plus working hardware in video) and is not purchasable or deployed at an external named customer. It is included because it is too influential in the humanoid market to omit. Its status stays 'prototype / early internal production'.
Gallery
Video
Tesla
Tesla
Availability
On request
No sales channel or order option anywhere.
as of 2026-10 · Source
On request
No price. Musk has cited a long-term target of roughly US$20,000-30,000 (secondary reports); one estimate of current build cost is US$50,000-100,000. Leasing to selected companies reported as the plan.
as of 2026-10 · Source
On request
No sales channel.
as of 2026-10 · Source
Deployments
| Customer | Location | Type | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla (internal) Robots work in supervised areas on specific tasks; most units are used for testing, training and data collection. Musk reportedly acknowledged in January 2026 that no Optimus robots were doing useful work. Not an external customer. | Fremont and other Tesla factories, USA | Pilot | 2026 | electrek.co |
Timeline
Tesla Bot announced at AI Day (concept, prototype promised for 2022).
Program head Milan Kovac leaves; production reportedly paused for a redesign.
Q3 2025 deck: first-generation Optimus production lines being installed; Musk: unveil of V3 'probably in Q1' 2026.
Tesla announces ending Model S and X production to convert Fremont lines to Optimus.
Q1 2026 call: V3 unveil moved closer to production start; initial volume 'quite slow'.
Musk posts photo at Fremont Optimus line; a second Optimus factory at Giga Texas is reported as under construction, with volume production targeted for summer 2027 (per Teslarati; Tesla has not confirmed a date in a primary document).
Electrek/The Information: several hundred units per week, hand assembly problems, V3 demo not yet held.
Tesla Q3 2026: Optimus production starts at Fremont; Musk: 20,000 per week by end of 2027.
Promises
“Tesla builds about 5,000-10,000 Optimus in 2025 and several thousand do useful work in Tesla factories by end of 2025.”
Per reporting, only hundreds to about 1,000 built in 2025 and production was paused mid-2025; in January 2026 Musk reportedly conceded no robots were doing useful work.
“Unveil Optimus V3 in Q1 2026.”
Moved to 'closer to production start' in April 2026; no public V3 unveiling confirmed in the sources reviewed as of late September 2026 (could not verify after the Q3 2026 call).
“V3 reveal around mid-2026.”
As of 2026-09-25 the demo had not happened (Electrek).
“20,000 Optimus robots per week by the end of 2027.”
Musk also called the ramp 'somewhat bumpy'; analysts noted he tempered near-term expectations. (A separate Teslarati report of 2026-07-01 puts Giga Texas volume production at a targeted summer 2027; not stated in the TechCrunch source.)
Due Dec 2027 · Source
“Continuous automated line producing over 1,000 robots per week by end of 2026.”
Internal target reported second-hand, not a public Tesla commitment.
Due Dec 2026 · Source
Latest news
News
Tesla starts building humanoid robots in California but what can they really do?
+ 1 more source
- Thomasnet Tesla Starts Optimus Robot Production in California
Sources
- Tesla starts Optimus robot production in California as profit falls 43% TechCrunch · Oct 31, 2026
- Tesla Optimus production ramp, hands, AI generalization problems Electrek · Oct 31, 2026
- Tesla Optimus shambles: head of program exits, production delayed Electrek · Oct 31, 2026
- Tesla confirms Optimus production lines being installed Humanoids Daily · Oct 31, 2026
- Tesla Optimus project fires up Teslarati · Oct 31, 2026
- Tesla ending Models S and X production CNBC · Oct 31, 2026
- Musk says Optimus V3 unveil to be closer to production Yahoo Finance · Oct 31, 2026
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