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Tesla withdraws Alameda County lawsuit as Fremont factory returns to normal operations
With the Fremont Factory operating once more, American electric car maker Tesla has decided to formally withdraw its lawsuit against Alameda County, which it filed earlier this month over officials’ refusal to allow the electric car production facility to reopen. The lawsuit’s withdrawal appears to mark the end of Tesla and Alameda’s feud, which ended up involving numerous states and national officials.
As noted in a Reuters report, the dismissal of Tesla’s lawsuits was granted on Wednesday. Filed on May 9, the suit sought injunctive and declaratory relief against Alameda County, due to officials’ decision to keep the Fremont Factory closed despite nearby counties such as Palo Alto allowing Tesla’s facilities to resume operations. The suit followed a set of tweets by Elon Musk, which involved the CEO stating that Tesla will be moving its headquarters and future projects to other states such as Nevada and Texas.
During the same weekend as Elon Musk’s tweetstorm, Tesla published a blog post sharing its extensive Return to Work Playbook, which discusses a series of strategies that were based on the company’s anti-coronavirus initiatives in Gigafactory Shanghai. Tesla’s Shanghai plant was part of a government-mandated shutdown due to the virus, but it was able to gradually reopen and return to normal operations by following a series of stringent safety guidelines.
These guidelines were adapted for the Fremont Factory, but according to the electric car maker in its blog post, the proposed safety features have not been acknowledged by Alameda County. Officials, on the other hand, noted that they were against the reopening of the Fremont Factory because Tesla failed to meet certain safety guidelines, though they did not specify which.
Elon Musk eventually opted to resume operations at the electric vehicle production facility despite the lack of approval from the county. Amidst these, Tesla and Musk received support from numerous entities, from the Bay Area Council, the mayors of Fremont and Palo Alto, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, US President Donald Trump, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Officials from other states such as Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas also expressed their support for Tesla.
It did not take long before Alameda County acknowledged Tesla’s Return to Work Playbook. After the electric car maker adjusted some of its safety guidelines as per the county’s request, the Fremont Factory was allowed to reopen and gradually return to operations. Today, vehicle production is ongoing, and vehicles fresh from the factory are being transported on car carrier trucks.
Ultimately, the drama that surrounded Tesla’s primary vehicle production facility in the United States may have seemed like noise for the electric vehicle community, but the fact that it was able to expedite the reopening of the Fremont plant goes a long way towards helping Tesla’s Q2 2020 results. The second quarter of 2020, after all, will be very challenging, considering that it holds the brunt of the coronavirus shutdown, which has affected the global market.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares big Tesla Optimus 3 production update
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that production of Optimus 3 could begin this summer. Musk shared the update in his interview at the Abundance Summit.
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
“We’re in the final stages of completion of Optimus 3, which is really going to be by far the most advanced robot in the world. Nothing’s even close. In fact, I haven’t even seen demos of robots that are as good as Optimus 3,” Musk said.
He also set expectations on the pace of Optimus 3’s production ramp, stating that the initial volumes of the humanoid robot will likely be very low. Musk did, however, also state that high production rates for Optimus 3 should be possible in 2027.
“I think we’ll start production on Optimus 3 this summer, but very slow at first, like sort of this classic S-curve ramp of manufacturing units versus time. And then, probably reach high volume production around summer next year,” he said.
Interestingly enough, the CEO hinted that Tesla is looking to iterate on the robot quickly, potentially releasing a new Optimus design every year.
“We’ll have Optimus 4 design complete next year. We’ll try to release a new robot design every year,” Musk stated.
Tesla has already outlined broader plans for scaling Optimus production beyond its first manufacturing line. Musk previously stated that Optimus 4 will be built at Gigafactory Texas at significantly higher production volumes.
Initial production lines for the robot are expected to be located at Tesla’s Fremont Factory, where the company plans to establish a line capable of producing up to 1 million robots per year.
A larger production ramp is expected to occur at Gigafactory Texas, where Musk has previously suggested could eventually support production of up to 10 million robots per year.
“We’re going to launch on the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever, starting with building a one-million-unit production line in Fremont. And that’s Line one. And then a ten million unit per year production line here,” Musk said previously.
The comments suggest that while Optimus 3 will likely begin production at Fremont, Tesla’s larger-scale manufacturing push could arrive with Optimus 4 at Gigafactory Texas.
Elon Musk
Tesla showcases Optimus humanoid robot at AWE 2026 in Shanghai
Tesla’s humanoid robot was presented as part of the company’s exhibit at the Shanghai electronics show.
Tesla showcased its Optimus humanoid robot at the 2026 Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE 2026) in Shanghai. The event opened Thursday and featured several Tesla products, including the company’s humanoid robot and the Cybertruck.
The display was reported by CNEV Post, citing information from local media outlet Cailian and on-site staff at the exhibition.
Tesla’s humanoid robot was presented as part of the company’s exhibit at the Shanghai electronics show. On-site staff reportedly stated that mass production of the robot could begin by the end of 2026.
Tesla previously indicated that it plans to manufacture its humanoid robots at scale once production begins, with its initial production line in the Fremont Factory reaching up to 1 million units annually. An Optimus production line at Gigafactory Texas is expected to produce 10 million units per year.
Tesla China previously shared a teaser image on Weibo showing a pair of highly detailed robotic hands believed to belong to Optimus. The image suggests a design with finger proportions and structures that closely resemble those of a human hand.
Robotic hands are widely considered one of the most difficult engineering challenges in humanoid robotics. For a system like Optimus to perform complex real-world tasks, from factory work to household activities, the robot would require highly advanced dexterity.
Elon Musk has previously stated that Optimus has the capability to eventually become the first real-world example of a Von Neumann machine, a self-replicating system capable of building copies of itself, even on other planets. “Optimus will be the first Von Neumann machine, capable of building civilization by itself on any viable planet,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk
Tesla Cybercab production line is targeting hundreds of vehicles weekly: report
According to the report, Tesla has been adding staff and installing new equipment at its Austin factory as it prepares to begin Cybercab production.
Tesla is reportedly designing its Cybercab production line to manufacture hundreds of the autonomous vehicles each week once mass production begins. The effort is underway at Gigafactory Texas in Austin as the company prepares to start building the Robotaxi at scale.
The details were reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing people reportedly familiar with the matter.
According to the report, Tesla has been adding staff and installing new equipment at its Austin factory as it prepares to begin Cybercab production.
People reportedly familiar with Tesla’s plans stated that the company has been growing its staff and bringing in new equipment to start the mass production of the Cybercab this April.
The Cybercab is Tesla’s upcoming fully autonomous two-seat vehicle designed without a steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle is intended to operate primarily as part of Tesla’s planned Robotaxi ride-hailing network.
“There’s no fallback mechanism here. Like this car either drives itself or it does not drive,” Musk stated during Tesla’s previous earnings call.
Tesla has indicated that Cybercab production could begin as soon as April, though Elon Musk has noted that early production will likely be slow before ramping over time. Musk has stated that the Cybercab’s slow ramp is due in no small part to the fact that it is a completely new vehicle platform.
Tesla’s Cybercab is designed to work with the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system and support its planned autonomous ride-hailing service. The company has suggested that the vehicle could cost under $30,000, making it one of Tesla’s most affordable models if produced at scale. Musk has confirmed in a previous X post that the vehicle will indeed be offered to regular consumers at a price below $30,000.
Musk has previously stated that Tesla could eventually produce millions of Cybercabs annually if demand and production capacity scale as planned.
Elon Musk shares big Tesla Optimus 3 production update
Tesla showcases Optimus humanoid robot at AWE 2026 in Shanghai
