Tesla Reportedly Plans Optimus Reservations for Early December

Tesla is expected to open Optimus reservations in early December, according to The San Francisco Standard, which cites Humanoids Summit founder Modar Alaoui. The report points to a possible consumer waitlist ahead of commercial deliveries, rather than an imminent launch of robots for the home.

Key Takeaways

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• Alaoui told The Standard that Tesla said reservations would open around the December 1–2 Humanoids Summit or in the days afterward.
• He expects most robots to go to businesses, with a smaller allocation for consumers and V3 as the first shipping generation.
• Tesla did not respond to the publication’s request for comment. Reservation fees and consumer delivery terms remain unclear.
• Musk’s recent earnings-call guidance put deliveries to companies outside Tesla toward the end of 2027.

A reported December reservation window

In Rachyl Jones’s October 30 report, Alaoui said Tesla had linked the reservation opening to his conference. The Humanoids Daily events page lists Humanoids Summit for December 1–2 at the San Mateo County Event Center.

The Standard also reports that Tesla plans to demonstrate Optimus V3 at the summit and offer self-driving car demonstrations. The reservation timing and V3 plans are reported expectations; the article does not include a public Tesla announcement setting out the offer. For the broader model roadmap, see our feature on the expected reveal timelines for Optimus Gen 3, Figure 04 and the next Apollo.

Alaoui is founder and general partner of ALM Ventures as well as founder and chair of the summit. Humanoids Daily recently covered his book, The Humanoid Economy, which examines the financing, manufacturing and supporting systems needed for humanoid adoption. His role as event organizer is relevant here: he says the timing came from Tesla directly.

Reservations would precede deliveries

The reported waitlist would sit well ahead of the delivery timetable Tesla discussed in its Q3 earnings update. Musk said external company deliveries were likely toward the end of 2027, with industrial work expected to come first. He did not provide a consumer delivery date.

That update also described early production in Fremont alongside continuing work on AI, electromechanical design and durability. Opening reservations would therefore be a step toward collecting customer interest while development and the manufacturing ramp continue.

For prospective home buyers, the practical details remain unresolved. The Standard could not establish whether a payment would be required to reserve a robot. Its report also does not provide a final retail price, consumer allocation size or firm home-delivery schedule.

A December opening would give the public a more direct way to register interest in Optimus. The terms Tesla publishes, and the capabilities it demonstrates, will determine what that reservation actually promises.