Elon Musk Admits Optimus Production Will Be 'Extremely Slow' in Initial Phase

On Thursday, July 2, Elon Musk acknowledged that Optimus production will be extremely slow initially because the technology is entirely new and unlike electric vehicle manufacturing. Musk made the comment on X in response to speculation about early production of the third-generation Optimus humanoid robot.

Musk shared a photo with the Optimus production team at Tesla's Fremont factory on Wednesday, triggering market speculation. The production line was converted from the former Model S and Model X assembly lines, which ceased production in May 2026. Tesla completed the conversion in approximately four months, installing modular equipment including production lines from Germany and multiple sub-production lines for actuators, batteries, and other components. Optimus features approximately 10,000 unique parts, with the Fremont facility targeting annual production of 1 million units.