John Krafcik, a former CEO of Waymo who transformed the autonomous driving car project of Google into a commercial company to be racing, raised doubts about the Tesla robotaxi. Speaking with Business Insider, Krafcik has questioned if Tesla’s service qualifies as a real robotaxi. “If they were striving to recreate the Uber experience of the Bay Area today,” he told the publication by e-mail, adding “it seems that he absolutely nailed it”.
For those who are not aware, Tesla has launched its robotaxi service in Austin in June this year, followed by San Francisco in July. In Austin, where the rules are freer, Tesla places a safety monitor on the passenger seat instead of the driver’s seat. In addition, a human security driver is behind the wheel because Tesla has not yet applied for California permits to test or distribute vehicles completely without a driver. The service is currently only invitation, even if the CEO Elon Musk has declared on August 10 that it will be “open of access” next month.
Krafcik said that Tesla’s dependence on car employees shows that the service is not really autonomous. “Please let me know when Tesla launches a robotaxi – I’m still waiting for,” he said. “It is not (rather of course) a robotaxi if there is an employee inside the car.” He also declared that he had no interest in trying Tesla’s robotaxi services.
Krafcik added that he has no interest in trying the service alone.
Tesla Robotaxi similar to Waymo’s initial approach: Report
According to the Business Insider report, Tesla’s launch has similarities with the first days of Waymo. In 2017, Waymo launched a “first program of pilots” in Arizona, in which security drivers were present and participants signed non -disclosure agreements. At the end of 2020, Waymo began to offer paid runs completely without a driver in Phoenix and since then he has extended to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin, with over 1,500 robotass opera
Sales of electric vehicles manufactured in Tesla China recorded a drop in 8.4% in July compared to the previous year, reversing a slight increase in June. This decline occurred in a growing competition from rivals that offer more convenient models. Even deliveries of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles decreased by 5.2% since June, while Byd has maintained constant sales of global cars.
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