Tesla vehicles have already been driving themselves off factory assembly lines and into delivery lots since last year. This type of automated logistics has saved a lot of time on the factory floor, and Tesla even made history last year by autonomously delivering its first vehicle to a customer's doorstep from Gigafactory Texas. Now, that same autonomous tech is expanding deeper into the final assembly steps.
Tesla's Vice President of Engineering, Lars Moravy, recently sat down for an interview with longtime Tesla enthusiast Herbert Ong and shared how Full Self-Driving has taken over the very end of the factory validation process. Moravy revealed that new vehicles now completely drive themselves through the bumps, squeaks, and rattles (BSR) section of the production line. This serves as the final validation track before cars are cleared to leave the factory floor, which they also do autonomously.
While the car drives the BSR course, built-in cabin microphones listen intently and report any assembly issues back to the engineering team. Moravy announced that Tesla is even working on a specialized AI system called "Full Self-Hearing" to detect these minor imperfections automatically before delivery.
The factory teams are also using internal AI agents across engineering, supply chain, service, and manufacturing quality control. This goes hand-in-hand with ongoing early-life failure testing to validate new components and manufacturing processes for Tesla’s products. That said, the interview extended well beyond just manufacturing automation and technologies.
Cybercab Production Scaling
During the chat, Moravy dished plenty of new details on the highly anticipated Cybercab robotaxi. The exec said that Cybercab production lines are expected to scale far beyond what current market estimates dictate. The factory setup for the vehicle is incredibly high-tech, with about 90% of the Cybercab manufacturing line being fully automated.
Thanks to this efficiency, Tesla may eventually produce more Cybercabs than any other vehicle model in its history. For perspective, the reigning volume champion, the Model Y, has seen roughly four million units produced to date.
Moravy also dropped a hint about connectivity, suggesting that Starlink could eventually make its way to the Cybercab to guarantee cellular reception for the fully autonomous vehicle in rural areas. This kind of satellite internet integration has not only been long rumored for Tesla vehicles but has also been among the most requested features from customers. It looks like Tesla's purpose-built robotaxi might lead the charge. We previously even saw a production Cybercab unit testing with a Starlink dish attached to its roof.
Optimus Assembly Lines Take Shape
The interview also shed light on how the Optimus humanoid robot program is progressing. Tesla's first official Optimus production line has successfully landed at the Fremont factory, and crews have already started the installation process. The line uses a completely modular design so the layout can adapt as the robot and its manufacturing process evolve, and engineers expect to scale up to dozens of individual sub-lines over time.
While initial production will take place in California, the actual manufacturing equipment for the robot is currently being built and validated in Germany, involving roughly 40 distinct sub-lines. Moravy noted that Tesla's bill of materials for a standard car is technically higher than a robot's, but he didn't offer an exact timeframe for full commercial Optimus production. Due to the mechanical complexity and tight safety requirements of a humanoid robot, the exec said Optimus will be manufactured more like a modern car than a standard smartphone.
Before closing out the interview, Moravy also teased a big announcement regarding production scaling at Giga Texas that's coming Tuesday, July 7. You can check out the full interview below:
