Musk: Tesla Will Rent Optimus Robots Instead of Selling Them

Tesla may not sell Optimus at all. During an interview at the 33rd Annual Baron Investment Conference, Elon Musk said Tesla will likely rent its humanoid robots to customers instead.

When asked whether Tesla would rent or sell Optimus, Musk answered, “I think probably rent them.”

What Optimus Will Cost

Musk also gave an idea of what it will cost Tesla to build each robot. When asked whether Optimus would be cheaper to build than a car, he said, “Yes, initially I’d say about the same, but then over time it would be much less.” He then agreed that costs would start around $30,000 per robot and drop toward $20,000.

He didn’t say how much a rental would cost. You can watch the full interview below:

Where Optimus Production Stands

Tesla started early Optimus production last month on a line in Fremont planned for 1 million units a year. It sits in the space Tesla freed up after tearing down the Model S and Model X lines.

Musk expects it to take at least a year to reach full production speed. Tesla plans to start delivering Optimus to outside companies around the end of 2027, and those deliveries now look like they’ll be rentals. Before then, Tesla plans to use Optimus in its own factories, and an AI5-powered version is expected around April 2027. Musk said in the interview that Optimus will be five times more productive than the average human.

Not a Tesla App

We should also get a look at the production robot soon. Tesla delayed the Optimus Gen 3 unveil earlier this year, but Musk said during the Q3 earnings call last month that a demo video could arrive soon, possibly this month.

Tesla’s Next Subscription

Renting Optimus fits with Tesla’s shift toward recurring revenue. FSD (Supervised) hit a record number of subscribers in Q3 and was purchased with 75% of new orders in North America. During the Q3 earnings call, Tesla also confirmed an analyst’s estimate that FSD’s annual recurring revenue is approaching $1 billion.

Optimus looks set to become Tesla’s next subscription product. We’ll likely learn more about pricing and rental terms closer to the first customer deliveries at the end of next year, if not at Tesla’s upcoming Annual Shareholder Meeting on December 3.