Tesla Signs New Fremont R&D Lease Ahead Of Optimus Robot Pivot

Tesla secured additional capacity in Fremont, California, as it begins its pivot from producing electric vehicles in the East Bay to making the Optimus humanoid robot.

Tesla leased the entirety of a 267K SF research and development space at 49000 Milmont Drive in Fremont’s advanced manufacturing and tech-centric Warm Springs District, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported.

Along with 108K SF at 45401 Research Ave., a short distance from the Milmont Drive facility, Tesla has leased 375K SF in Fremont so far this year. The company hasn’t disclosed its plans for the spaces and didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call in January that the electric-vehicle maker would sunset production of its Model X and Model S vehicles and retool a portion of its 6.2M SF factory on Fremont Boulevard to produce the Optimus robot, with the eventual goal of making 1 million units per year.

A statement from the city of Fremont says that as Tesla adapts for Optimus production, it will also continue producing its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Fremont and that its headcount in the city could increase.

Tesla's newest property is part of a 14-acre infill site and was completed last year.

Cushman & Wakefield lists the property at 49000 Milmont Drive for sale, noting a long-term lease with a high-credit tenant.

The Fremont area has a relatively low supply of R&D space compared to the rest of Silicon Valley, with about 6.7M SF, according to CBRE's Q4 report. At the end of 2025, the R&D market in the area carried a 17.9% vacancy rate and average asking rents of $1.99 per SF, compared to $3.80 per SF for the entire Bay Area.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's San Jose Newsletters
Related Stories

Orchard Partners Selects JLL To Market 892K SF Manufacturing Campus In Brisbane: The San Francisco Deal Sheet

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Could Expand In North Texas

Prologis To Develop 3.8M SF Industrial Park On Former Casino Site

Foundry Robotics Leaves San Francisco For New East Bay HQ

Capital Flooded Into Bay Area Apartments. Then Treasury Yields Spiked

Epicenter Landcorp Buys Culver City Flex Industrial Building For $11M

Data Centers Lose The Top Spot, San Francisco Jumps 40 Places: 9 Takeaways From ULI's 2027 Outlook

GID, StepStone Complete $985M Secondary Deal For Industrial Portfolio

As The Future Of The Office Continues To Evolve, WeWork Is Bringing Clients A Tailored Workplace Solution

Developers In Talks With TSMC Suppliers For $7B Halo Vista Mixed-Use Project

BKM Capital Isn't Tapping The Brakes On Its $3B Industrial Buying Spree

Hudson Pacific's Historic San Francisco Conversion Project Gets Approval