Alphabet Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) autonomous taxi service Waymo‘s former CEO, John Krafick, is skeptical about Tesla Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Robotaxi.
‘Not A Robotaxi’ Says John Krafcik
“Please let me know when Tesla launches a robotaxi, I’m still waiting,” Krafcik said, adding that the company’s ride-hailing service is not a Robotaxi since “there’s an employee inside the car,” Business Insider reported on Sunday.
Krafcik also maintained that he had no interest in trying the Tesla robotaxi, the report suggests. He also criticized the company’s ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area, comparing it with Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER).
“If they were striving to re-create today’s Bay Area Uber experience, looks like they’ve absolutely nailed it,” Krafcik said in the report.
Elon Musk Reacts
Following Krafcik’s comments, influencer Whole Mars Catalog took to social media platform X on Sunday, criticizing Krafcik. Replying to the post, Elon Musk also slammed Robotaxi critics.
“They will switch from claiming that Tesla self-driving is fake to Tesla self-driving is unfairly good,” Musk said in the post.
Tesla’s Bay Area Expansion, Musk’s Ambitious Robotaxi Goal
Tesla currently operates an invite-only ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area, ever since Musk announced the company would be expanding into the region.
However, the company’s service has an onboard safety driver at all times since Tesla cannot operate Robotaxis in the state of California, as it does not have a permit.
The expansion follows Musk laying out the ambitious goal of serving over half the population of the U.S. with Tesla Robotaxis by the end of the year, which he shared during the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
Tesla’s Norway Defiance
Amid the robotaxi expansions, Tesla has been grappling with poor sales figures across multiple regions in the world, with UK sales falling over 60% in July as Tesla delivered 987 units in the country.
However, the Norwegian market has emerged as a defiant region for the company, as sales surged 24% in Norway with Tesla registering over 13,039 deliveries.
Tesla scores well on Momentum, Growth, and Quality metrics, but offers poor Value. For more such insights, sign up for Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings today!
Photo Courtesy: Josiah True on Shutterstock.com
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