WORLDTECHTesla starts Optimus robot production in Fremont, targets 20,000 units per week by 2027
Tesla has started making its Optimus humanoid robots on production lines in Fremont, California, a step the company frames as a move toward commercial deployment. Chief executive Elon Musk now aims to lift output to 20,000 robots per week by the end of 2027, as reported by one outlet.
Production begins at a former car factory
Tesla disclosed the milestone in its third-quarter 2026 shareholder update. The Fremont factory once assembled electric vehicles, and the company has now given that floor space over to its robotics work, so both product lines are housed at a site originally designed for cars.
The initial run is the first occasion on which Tesla has produced Optimus units to production standards, a distinction that separates it from earlier development work.
Ramp-up expected to be gradual
The goal of 20,000 robots per week by the end of 2027 is a long-range target. Musk, however, cautioned investors that output would climb slowly, because Optimus represents an entirely new product category for the company, unlike the vehicles it has built for years.
The reporting rests on a single outlet's account of the shareholder update, so the pace and scale it describes should be understood as Tesla's stated intentions rather than independently verified production figures.
Open questions
- How many Optimus units are currently being produced in Fremont?
- What timeline has Tesla given for the first commercial deployments?