Tesla (TSLA) walked investors through its latest quarter on an earnings call last night, and the robots stole the show. This report draws on published summaries of the call rather than the transcript itself, so figures and quotes are as those outlets relayed them. Here's the short version before your coffee gets cold.
Optimus robots are now coming off a real production line, but only a small one. Tesla says its Fremont plant, in space freed up when Model S and Model X production ended, is building what it calls its first production-quality bots. Musk called it early production and warned that the ramp will be slow and bumpy. Full-scale production is a separate milestone: Musk said it will not begin until late 2027 at the earliest. Our Optimus explainer has the background.
The big robot goal is a promise, not a schedule. Musk wants to reach 20,000 robots a week, but says that will take at least a year because parts of the design are still changing. Sales to outside companies are pencilled in for around the end of 2027, factory work first and homes later. He also said a video of Optimus doing tasks that aren't pre-programmed could arrive in a month or two.
Robotaxi rides are heading to Dallas. Tesla's AI software chief, Ashok Elluswamy, said service starts next month, and customer-owned cars could join the fleet around the second quarter of 2027. One catch: US safety regulators opened an audit query in September into how Tesla certified a vehicle with no traditional human controls.
Full Self-Driving (FSD) is turning into a subscription habit. Tesla says it now has more than 1.7 million paying customers, and for the first time half of them subscribe instead of paying up front. The supervised version, which needs a driver watching the road, is now approved in nine EU countries.
Batteries for the grid are the quiet star, and the bill is getting big. Tesla says its Megapacks are nearly sold out for 2027, after its second-best quarter ever for storage. Part of the jump in energy profit margin came from one-off items, so don't assume it repeats. Meanwhile quarterly profit fell by more than 40% on flat sales as research spending surged, and Tesla now expects about $20 billion in capital spending this year. It is also exploring a SpaceX merger, and we haven't yet seen the terms.
Would you trust a humanoid robot on your factory floor in 2027, or does that date sound too good to be true?
The WattsUpNext take: Tesla is spending heavily on humanoid robots and robotaxis while its car and battery businesses pay the bills. The battery demand looks real today, and the robot dates look like hopes.
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Sources
- 1.Tesla to Begin Full Production of Optimus Robots in Late 2027 at the Earliest, Elon Musk Says · MarketScreener
- 2.Tesla Inc (TSLA) (Q3 2026) Earnings Call Highlights: Record Backlog, Robotaxi Expansion and ... · Yahoo Finance
- 3.Tesla Inc (TSLA) (Q3 2026) Earnings Call Highlights: Record Backlog, Robotaxi Expansion and ... By GuruFocus · Investing.com Canada
Reported by the WattsUpNext desk from the sources linked below. Spot an error? Tell us at corrections@wattsupnext.com.
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