The Pulse
Tesla’s Optimus Ramp Hits Manual Assembly and Supplier Snags
Tesla has increased Optimus output to several hundred robots a week, but production still faces hand-assembly, equipment and supplier problems. The company’s year-end goal is more than 1,000 robots a week, while its long-term target is abou
AI.info Team ·
Tesla has raised Optimus production roughly tenfold, to several hundred robots a week, but the machines still need fixes as they come off the line. In a report published September 25, The Information described problems with hand assembly, production equipment and suppliers as the company tries to move from small batches to sustained output.
Hundreds a week, with a much larger target
Tesla produced a few dozen robots a week during second-quarter testing, then reached several hundred a week last month, according to two people familiar with the work cited by The Information. Managers have told staff they want a continuous automated line capable of making more than 1,000 a week by the end of 2026. The company’s longer-term target is about 20,000 a week.
The production push has already shifted people and factory space toward the robot. The Information reported that Tesla ended Model S and Model X production in Fremont in early May and moved some vehicle-line workers and engineers to Optimus testing, with dozens of engineers also transferred from the Model Y line. Yet some of the robot’s most intricate work still depends on a person at the station.
Optimus hands still need workers to assemble them
The hand and forearm contain more than 100 screws and other small components that workers assemble manually, according to one person familiar with the program. At stations for hands, joints, software installation and electronics testing, equipment does not always hold parts in precise alignment. The Information’s sources said more robots need repairs after leaving the line, while some automated tools fail to work properly at higher speeds.
Durability adds another complication. Some touch sensors in the hands have reliability problems, one source said; Tesla has developed a replaceable sensor layer, described in the report as a “sensing glove,” and plans to add it to a future model next year. The hand design has also contributed to delays and higher costs.
Suppliers have to prove they can scale
Tesla makes much of Optimus in-house but buys some components, including motors and precision gears for the robot’s joints, from outside suppliers. Much of that supply work is in China, where manufacturers produce motors, sensors and other robot parts. The company is checking and qualifying suppliers while encouraging some to build factories outside China, The Information reported.
Small production runs have not guaranteed consistent output at larger volumes. A person familiar with the program told the publication that some suppliers can produce working prototypes and small batches but struggle to maintain quality and consistency as orders grow. That leaves Tesla trying to raise robot output while its supplier base and production processes are still being tested.
Tesla’s million-unit line is a plan, not current output
Tesla’s January investor update said preparations were underway for its first Optimus production line, with production planned to start before the end of 2026 and eventual capacity of 1 million robots a year. The same document cautions that installed capacity is not the same as current production and that rates can be limited by equipment uptime and component supply. The Information’s account of hundreds of robots a week shows how far the present ramp remains from that planned capacity.
“The production scaling challenge is very substantial.”
Elon Musk, Tesla chief executive
Musk made that assessment during a July earnings call, according to The Information. The near-term measure of progress is whether Tesla can push past 1,000 robots a week while improving line reliability, supplier consistency and the labor-intensive assembly of Optimus’s hands.