Tesla Robotaxi is getting more shade thrown on it by skeptics from all corners of the industry. Recently, it received some criticism from ex-Waymo CEO John Krafcik, who led the currently sits on the board of Tesla rival Rivian.
Robotaxi is Tesla’s self-driving ride-hailing service that operates in both Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
In Austin, it launched on June 22, and it was the first city where Tesla launched driverless rides to a select group of invited guests. That group, as well as the geofence in Austin, has expanded several times in the roughly two months since its launch.
In the Bay, Tesla is not legally allowed to call the platform “Robotaxi,” so it refers to it as its ride-hailing service. This was confirmed by CEO Elon Musk.
However, Krafcik, who was with Waymo for about seven years, is skeptical of the Robotaxi fleet, basically calling it less than impressive and stating that it is a lot like Uber in San Francisco.
In an interview with Business Insider, Krafcik revealed his true thoughts about Tesla’s efforts:
“If they were striving to re-create today’s Bay Area Uber experience, looks like they’ve absolutely nailed it.”
He went on to say that the company’s decision to keep Safety Monitors in the vehicle for the time being makes the vehicle not a Robotaxi. In Austin, there is not a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat, only in the front passenger’s seat.
In the Bay Area, there is a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat, which is a regulatory requirement with the platform currently.
Krafcik continued:
“Please let me know when Tesla launches a robotaxi — I’m still waiting. It’s (rather obviously) not a robotaxi if there’s an employee inside the car.”
The presence of a Safety Monitor is only a measure of precaution currently, and Tesla has said that it is purely a move to ensure riders are kept out of danger.
Musk said recently that Tesla is being “paranoid” over safety, and for good reason. Any instance of an accident could set Tesla, or any self-driving program for that matter, back years.
Unfortunately, Krafcik said he has no desire to try Robotaxi, so it won’t get a fair shot at changing his mind.