Tesla starts Optimus production at Fremont, Musk promises 20,000 robots a week by end of 2027

According to Tesla, the robots coming off this line are the first Optimus units that meet mass-production standards. The company says its manufacturing processes now allow it to build a commercial robot.

To free up space, Tesla took apart the Fremont line that built the Model S and Model X in just 46 days.

The ramp-up will be slow. Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive, estimates it will take at least a year, perhaps a little more, to reach the weekly output the company is aiming for.

Elon Musk recently acknowledged that the project still faces several difficulties. He cites the development of the robot's hands and restrictions on the supply of rare-earth magnets from China.

According to him, Tesla should resolve the remaining problems with the robot's design, reliability and lifespan towards the end of 2027. Only then will Optimus be sold to outside customers, first for dangerous or repetitive industrial tasks that must be carried out day and night.

Update of 22 October: Elon Musk has now put a figure on the pace he is aiming for. According to him, Tesla will be able to build 20,000 Optimus a week by the end of 2027, TechCrunch reports. According to TechCrunch, Tesla's spending on its artificial intelligence projects and on the Optimus robot weighed heavily on the quarter's profits. Tesla posted a net profit of 787 million dollars, 43% lower than in the same period of 2025.

Update of 22 October: Elon Musk also wants to build an “Optimus academy” where the robots will practise all sorts of tasks, Chinese site IT之家 reports. To gather enough training data, he estimates Tesla will have to produce between ten thousand and twenty thousand robots, which will train with one another.

Update of 22 October: Elon Musk also plans to release a video of Optimus within a month or two, according to Business Insider.