Tesla targets 1,000 Optimus robots produced each week in rapid production ramp-up

If you’re familiar with the public failure of the Tesla Optimus robot from about a year ago, where the robot knocked over water bottles and fell backwards, you might be surprised to learn that the project continues to move forward aggressively. Elon Musk remains extremely optimistic about Optimus. He predicted in early 2026 that Optimus (part of the Tesla company) should begin to have a major impact and “change the status quo” during the year 2027. In an attempt to continue moving toward this goal, Tesla plans to increase its production of Optimus robots to more than 1,000 per week by the end of 2026. This would represent an increase in production of approximately 10 times compared to the second quarter of 2026.

Tesla and Musk are certainly banking heavily on Optimus’ success. Recently, Tesla stopped production of two of its iconic car models to make robots. The company converted Model S and Model Y vehicle production areas to robotic production in just 46 days.

However, it doesn’t appear that the capabilities of Optimus robots are advancing that quickly. According to an exclusive report from The Information, creating hands that can function in ways that mimic humans has been a production challenge. The hands and forearms of humanoid robots require significant manual assembly work, according to the report. Some automated hand assembly stations are also not accurate or consistent enough. Such limitations apparently make it more difficult to scale up robot manufacturing.

In case you are not familiar with the Optimus program, it develops and creates a robot that looks like a human. Tesla and Musk announced the program in 2021, and it has been moving forward ever since. The idea behind Optimus is that he can walk on two “legs” and use his “hands” like a human. It would perform tasks that could be dangerous or annoying to humans, while potentially also serving as a family companion.

Although Musk sometimes misses his predictions on his companies’ production targets, what would happen if Optimus met his expectations for ramped-up production? Musk said recently that he expected the public to be able to purchase Optimus robots by the end of 2027. Optimus robots would already be working in Tesla factories.

At a 2024 event, Musk estimated that the robots would cost between $20,000 and $30,000. He said prices are expected to fall in coming years as technology and manufacturing processes become more streamlined. However, some industry analysts estimate that the actual cost per robot upon release will be between $50,000 and $100,000. It’s important to note that as of this writing, Tesla is not offering residential or commercial customers the ability to pre-order the Optimus robots. Aside from Musk’s predictions, Tesla has also not officially announced a price or release date for Optimus.

When Optimus robots become available for regular purchase, whenever that may be, what will they be able to do? Some people expect units that will look like the best TV robots that work (and make jokes) like humans. They will perform our most mundane tasks and adjust our actions in real time. Others believe these machines will be efficient at a task, but might not adjust on the fly.

Upon release, Optimus will likely perform general manual labor in commercial, retail, or residential environments. He will be able to lift 150 pounds and walk while carrying up to 45 pounds. Ultimately and after continued improvements, Optimus should be able to perform many more tasks, according to Musk’s predictions. The humanoid robot could eventually do your shopping, take care of your children, converse with you or even take care of your pets. “Anything you can think of, that will do,” Musk said at an event in 2024. “And yeah, it’s going to be great.”

At 5 feet 8 inches, the Optimus robot will be similar in height to an average American adult man (5 feet 9 inches) and much taller than an average American adult woman (5 feet 3.5 inches). And for the record, despite their very human-like visual design, the Optimus robots are not heading toward a future where they become like a T-800 cyborg from “The Terminator,” according to Musk. In previous interviews, he has compared them more to friendly “Star Wars” robots, like C-3PO or R2-D2.