Tesla Struggles to Scale Optimus Production Amid Complex Assembly Hurdles

Tesla is reportedly encountering significant manufacturing challenges as it attempts to ramp up production of its Optimus humanoid robot. According to The Information, the company produced only several hundred units per week last month, falling far short of its stated target of 20,000 units weekly. The bottleneck stems partly from Tesla’s decision to repurpose existing Model S and Model X production lines for Optimus assembly earlier this year—a strategy that has introduced precision alignment issues, as the robot’s components are substantially smaller and require far tighter tolerances than automotive parts.

The report highlights that even the current “V3” iteration demands extensive manual labor; each robot’s hands and forearms contain over 100 screws and small components that must be assembled by hand. While these latest models are lighter and incorporate more cameras than previous versions, they lack a “sensing glove” still under development. This feature is designed to enhance durability by allowing touch sensors to be replaced without discarding the entire hand assembly.

Optimus has faced repeated delays despite CEO Elon Musk’s assertions that it will become Tesla’s “biggest product of all time.” Currently, the robots are deployed only for specific internal tasks in limited environments and are not yet operating broadly or via remote teleoperation. Tesla reportedly intends to lease the robots initially rather than sell them outright, using real-world training data to refine the platform—though achieving meaningful deployment remains a prerequisite.

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