HumanoidsGeneral-purpose humanoid

Optimus

Name: Optimus
Brand: Tesla

Optimus is Tesla's humanoid robot, a machine shaped like a person. Tesla says it is meant for dangerous, repetitive or boring work. Reuters via Inquirer, 20 Aug 2021

Stage 1 of 5

Demo only

Which rule placed it

Evidence: No customer evidence yet
Human help: Not disclosed
Last milestone: 22 Oct 2026

01Can I get it?

Not yet

Where it works today: Built at Tesla's Fremont, California factory. Most units stay inside Tesla for testing, training and data collection. It is not sold to the public. Electrek citing The Information, 25 Sept 2026
Published price: No published price in our sources.
Human help: Tesla has not said how much remote help the robots need today. At its October 2024 event, staff working remotely oversaw many of the robots' conversations with guests. TechCrunch, 14 Oct 2024

02Track record

What has actually happened

Every milestone is dated and links to the page it comes from. Lines marked company-reported rest on the maker's own word.

03Promised vs delivered

What the maker said, and when

Dated targets the maker set in public, against what has happened since.

Said23 July 2024
Useful robots at work inside Tesla in 2025
Musk said Tesla would have useful humanoid robots working in small numbers inside its own factories in 2025. PA via BreakingNews.ie, 23 July 2024
Missed
In January 2026 Musk admitted no Optimus robots were doing useful work at Tesla.
Said23 July 2024
High production for other companies in 2026
Musk said he hoped Tesla would be making Optimus in large numbers for other companies in 2026. PA via BreakingNews.ie, 23 July 2024
Still pending
As of September 2026, most units were used inside Tesla, and Tesla reportedly planned to lease robots to a short list of companies. No outside deliveries had been reported.
SaidJan 2025
About 10,000 robots built in 2025
Musk said Tesla would build about 10,000 Optimus robots in 2025. Electrek, 25 Sept 2026
Missed
In January 2026 Musk said Tesla did not expect significant Optimus production volume until about the end of 2026.
Said28 Jan 2026
Unveil the third-generation Optimus in Q1 2026
Tesla said it would unveil the third version of Optimus in the first quarter of 2026. Electrek, 28 Jan 2026 (Tesla shareholder update)
Missed
As of late September 2026 the V3 reveal had still not happened, Electrek reported.
Said28 Jan 2026
Start of production before end of 2026
Tesla said Optimus production would start before the end of 2026, with plans to eventually build 1 million robots a year. Electrek, 28 Jan 2026 (Tesla shareholder update)
Delivered
Tesla said in October 2026 that production-quality Optimus robots were coming off its Fremont line, meeting its target of starting production before the end of 2026. TechCrunch, 21 Oct 2026

04Safety and incidents

What has gone wrong

No crashes, recalls or regulator reports in our sources. That is not proof none happened; we add them when a regulator or trusted outlet reports one.

How we placed it

The rule, not an opinion

Stages are worked out by published rules from the dated milestones above. We never rate robots, and no maker can pay to change a stage.

5
Regulator-cleared or mass market
A regulator has cleared it where approval applies: FDA clearance or approval for a medical robot, a permit to run with no one aboard for a self-driving vehicle, or an FAA approval for routine drone flights. Or: Widely sold: sales in the hundreds of thousands, or a product category you can buy in ordinary shops.
4
Paying customers
Delivered to customers who pay for it, beyond a trial, or a paid service the public can use.
3
Pilot
Working with a named customer in a real setting, as a trial.
2
Pre-orders
Orders, reservations or deposits taken, with nothing delivered yet.
1
Demo onlyThis robot
Shown in videos, staged events or a factory, with no units working for customers.
No pre-order, pilot, paying customer or clearance is on record yet.

What we couldn't confirm. Production figures come from The Information's unnamed sources, not from Tesla. Tesla had not publicly shown Optimus V3 as of 19 Oct 2026, and no outside customer has been named.

Sources

Cite this page

Robotics Verdict. “Optimus (Tesla): how far has it got?” roboticsverdict.com/robots/tesla-optimus. Checked 19 October 2026.