Tesla completed the teardown of the Fremont assembly line that built the Model S and Model X in 46 days, clearing the factory floor for Optimus humanoid-robot production equipment1,2.
The last Model S and Model X units rolled off the line in May 2026. Tesla Manufacturing then posted a time-lapse video documenting the 46-day decommissioning. InsideEVs published the primary account of the conversion; Startup Fortune, Drive Tesla Canada, and Not a Tesla App also covered the footage.
From sedans to robots
Elon Musk announced the end of Model S and Model X production on Tesla's Q4 2025 earnings call on January 28, saying the company would free Fremont space for robots. The Model S had been in production at Fremont since 2012, and the Model X since 2015, giving the two lines a combined run of roughly 14 years. Tesla's Fremont plant continues to produce the Model 3 and Model Y.
Startup Fortune reported that combined Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck output was 53,900 units in 2025, down from 94,105 in 2024.
ANALYSIS The declining volume of the discontinued lines suggests the opportunity cost of the conversion was modest relative to Tesla's overall vehicle output.
Production targets and open questions
Tesla's stated goal for the freed Fremont space is 1 million Optimus units a year, which works out to roughly 19,230 robots a week. A separate, larger ambition places 10 million units a year at Giga Texas, according to both Startup Fortune and Tesorb.
Neither target has begun to materialize at scale. Tesla's Q2 deck, as reported, said Optimus production was anticipated later in the year. Startup Fortune reported limited production starting in July or August, with output of a few dozen units a week in the second quarter, several hundred a week by late September, and supply-chain orders pointing to 2,500 a week by the end of 2026. Formal production on the new Fremont line had not started by late July.
TechTimes reported that Optimus was not in material use inside Tesla factories in early 2026 and that no external customers existed at that time. Tesorb reported that consumer availability could begin around the end of 2027. Tesla plans to keep Optimus internal first.
Hardware and cost hurdles
Startup Fortune reported that hand durability issues threaten an internal target of 1,000 Optimus units a week. TechTimes reported that Optimus Gen-3 features a redesigned hand with 22 degrees of freedom, up from 11 in Gen 2. Tesorb cited Optimus Gen-3 as 173 cm tall, 57 kg, and comprising about 10,000 parts.
Optimus is targeted at a price range of $20,000 to $30,000 per unit at scale. Startup Fortune estimated the Giga Texas North Campus construction cost at $5 billion to $10 billion, with 5.2 million square feet of new building space planned by the end of 2026.
Tesla's 2026 internal target is 50,000 to 100,000 Optimus units and is described as directional.
ANALYSIS The gap between the current output of a few dozen to several hundred units a week and a directional target of up to 100,000 for the full year leaves the ramp trajectory largely unproven.
The conversion comes as competitor AGIBOT disclosed cumulative production of 20,000 general-purpose AI robots in the first half of 2026, with revenue of nearly 2 billion yuan[2].