One signal

Tesla is now targeting outside deliveries of its Optimus humanoid robots around the end of 2027, according to Martin Cid Magazine’s account of the company’s latest earnings call. The report says the robot’s hands remain a major reliability challenge, while parts of the production line are still being installed.

The distinction matters: Tesla may be beginning early production, but that is a long way from dependable, high-volume customer deliveries. The report says Elon Musk described a line designed for roughly one million robots a year, while cautioning that reaching that pace could take at least a year. It is a fresh delivery target and a useful account of what Tesla says is holding the programme back, not evidence that Optimus is ready for customers. Tesla’s past targets have slipped, so the promised demonstration of work that is not pre-programmed may be a more immediate test than the calendar.

Discuss: Should Tesla be judged by its end-of-2027 delivery target, or only by robots doing useful work outside the factory?

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