Tesla Reportedly Begins Optimus Production in Fremont; Early Output Expected to Be Extremely Slow

Tesla began producing its Optimus humanoid robot at its Fremont, California, factory in summer 2026, pasqualepillitteri.it reported on Sept. 2, 2026. Production is taking place on a former line that made the Model S and Model X through May, and Elon Musk reportedly warned that initial output would be “extremely slow.”

The report that Tesla has begun Optimus production using a former line at its own factory could indicate that the robot is moving beyond research and prototyping to become a manufactured product. With the robot said to have about 10,000 components, the challenge will be not only the finished product’s performance but also how far procurement and assembly can be industrialized.

The focus of the report is that Tesla is said to have entered a phase of moving Optimus from a “moving demo” to a “product made in a factory.” However, the main source is a secondary report, not a primary source, and readers should consult the original for details. The key point is that production is starting not at a newly built dedicated factory, but on a repurposed former Model S and Model X line. This suggests that the challenges of mass production have shifted from research and development to procurement, assembly and yield management for a robot with about 10,000 components. The immediate question appears to be whether the robot can be made viable as a manufacturing system, rather than how well the robot itself performs. Our related story, Tesla Optimus: Initial deployments seen focusing on factories and logistics (Sept. 2, 2026), said initial real-world use is expected to center on factories and logistics sites. The report that production has begun in Fremont reinforces that view. In other words, Tesla appears set to first ramp up production and conduct real-world evaluations in its own manufacturing environment, with external deployment to follow. Taken together with Tesla challenges regulatory limits with Cybercab robotaxi, Reuters reports (Sept. 4, 2026) and France begins public-road testing of Tesla FSD, moving closer to European approval (Sept. 3, 2026), Tesla appears to be advancing both autonomous driving and robotics while facing software approval requirements and hardware production ramp-ups. The former requires regulatory and safety reviews, while the latter is subject to constraints in component supply and manufacturing processes. With both advancing at the same time, Tesla’s physical AI strategy involves demonstrations, mass production and regulation all at once. From an industry perspective, Optimus’ roughly 10,000 components turn supply-chain vulnerabilities directly into challenges for mass production. Even if existing automotive factory equipment can be repurposed, it is a separate question how far robot-specific joints, sensors, control systems and inspection processes can be standardized. If these areas become bottlenecks, unit volumes may struggle to grow despite the attention generated at the announcement stage. Conversely, if Tesla can improve initial yields even using a former vehicle line, it will be able to treat robots not merely as “targets for software updates” but as “products that can be manufactured at scale.” Points to watch include: (1) initial production volumes; (2) which processes face component supply constraints; and (3) whether Tesla plans to expand production beyond Fremont.

For Japanese companies, the key question is likely to be where opportunities may arise to supply manufacturing infrastructure such as joint components, precision reduction gears, sensors, inspection equipment and assembly automation, rather than compete in the humanoid robot itself. However, if Tesla continues to use existing lines at its own factories, external component makers may need to provide reliable supplies and products suited to mass production; technical capabilities for prototypes alone may not be enough.