During a recent third-quarter conference call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the design finalization of the third-generation humanoid robot, Optimus, will be delayed until the first quarter of 2026, a significant delay from the original plan. According to LatePost, Tesla supply chain sources revealed that the company initially planned to complete the technical solutions for the third-generation robot and begin mass production early this year. Suppliers have invested hundreds of millions of yuan in R&D and hundreds of employees over nearly three years to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in orders.
The delay is primarily due to technical bottlenecks. Reports indicate that the Optimus robot's dexterous hands only last for six weeks during training to sort packages, and each hand costs as much as $6,000 (approximately 43,000 RMB). Combined with the cost of replacing other vulnerable parts, the annual maintenance cost for a single robot approaches $100,000 (approximately 712,000 RMB), far exceeding market expectations. Although the robot has previously demonstrated fun scenes such as kung fu performances and egg-picking, its economical and reliable practical applications still face challenges.
Musk remains optimistic about the project, revealing that Optimus 3.0 will launch in early 2026 and plans to increase annual production to one million units. He emphasized: "Optimus may become the most important product in history. I think it has great potential." The delay reflects that it will take time to overcome the technical difficulties in the durability of precision components and cost control of humanoid robots. Whether Tesla can fulfill its promise of mass production remains to be seen.
