According to Chinese sources, Tesla halted the purchase of parts for Optimus about a month and a half ago. The company is currently reviewing both the hardware and software of the robot, causing production to be on hold. Tesla had set a target to produce 5,000 Optimus units this year, but so far, only around 1,000 have been produced. It is now deemed unlikely to achieve this target due to the halt in parts supply. In early June, Milan Kovac, the head of the Optimus project, left Tesla. He was replaced by Ashok Elluswamy, the head of artificial intelligence software at Tesla. With this change, the design of the robot will be further improved before starting production.
Optimus is facing some technical issues such as motors overheating, insufficient hand strength, quick deterioration of some parts, and short battery life. Tesla is currently testing samples from different suppliers to address these issues. Although the robots unveiled last year impressed with their demonstrations, most movements were controlled remotely. Currently, Optimus is only performing simple transportation tasks in Tesla’s battery workshops and its performance still falls short of human workers. Elon Musk’s ambitious plan remains valid. He aims to produce 50,000 Optimus units next year and 500,000 by 2029. While this goal may seem far-fetched given the current situation, it is worth noting that it is a revised version of the previously announced production plan of 1 million units.
Following these developments, it is said that Tesla aims to ease the concerns of both investors and partners by introducing a new version of Optimus at this year’s shareholders’ meeting. However, it will not be an easy task to turn things around.
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