Tesla Optimus Output Rises as Production Challenges Persist

Tesla has increased production of its Optimus humanoid robots from a few dozen per week in the second quarter of 2026 to several hundred per week by August, but the machines remain limited to supervised, narrowly defined tasks as the company works through manufacturing and capability problems. Tesla is aiming to produce more than 1,000 robots per week by the end of 2026, with a longer-term target of about 20,000 per week, according to reports attributed to people familiar with the program. The figures have been repeated across multiple accounts, but trace largely to one underlying report. The company has not publicly confirmed the reported targets in the supplied material. The V3 robots are being produced at Tesla’s Fremont factory, where lines previously used for Model S and Model X production were repurposed. The robots’ hands and forearms are a particular manufacturing challenge: they contain more than 100 small components that require precise manual assembly. Reports describe alignment and reliability problems, along with issues involving automated equipment and suppliers as production scales.