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John Krafcik, Waymo’s long-time CEO until 2021 and auto industry veteran, explained why Tesla’s Cybercab won’t work in a new interview and went as far as suggesting that Tesla might ‘fake” its upcoming robotaxi launch in Austin in June.

Krafcik is a highly respected leader in the auto industry. He started his career as a mechanical engineer working at the NUMMi plant, then a GM-Toyota factory, but it is now owned by Tesla.

He spent 14 years at Ford, where he was chief engineer of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. He then moved to Hyundai America, where he was President for 5 years.

But Krafcik is mostly known for leading Waymo from 2015 to 2021 – helping it become the consensus leader in self-driving technology.

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He retired from the company in 2022 and now sits on the boards of Rivian and Daimler Trucks.

The famed engineer recently gave an interview to Germany’s Manager Magazine in which he threw some cold water on Tesla’s Cybercab project (via The Autopian):

If a company were serious about building a safe robotaxi business, the robotaxi wouldn’t look anything like this prototype. A serious robotaxi would demonstrate the primacy of safety; the manufacturer would place sensors in optimal positions—on the roof, as well as on the sides and corners of the vehicle. These sensors would also have cleaning and drying functions—windshield wipers, compressed air nozzles, and so on. A serious robotaxi also wouldn’t have a low-slung coupe body design. This design makes it difficult for people to easily get in and out; not everyone will be able to use these robotaxi vehicles comfortably.

We should note here that Krafcik is not necessarily attacking Tesla’s choice of sensors. Tesla only uses cameras – a choice that has been criticized in the self-driving industry, which tends to also use radar and lidar sensors.

He is criticizing the position of the sensors and Tesla’s limited features to keep them clean and working, which is a fact.

Krafcik also explained that why Waymo stayed off highways for so long (it recently started to drive on them), which could be a problem for Tesla as it goes driverless:

Almost all of the challenging circumstances and vulnerable road users found in cities also exist on highways—only less frequently. We’ve seen cyclists, scooter riders, and pedestrians on American highways. The rarity doesn’t make things easier—it makes them more difficult. You can’t ignore these extremely rare events; you have to solve them robustly, even if the speeds are much higher and the stopping distances are much longer. This means that the sensing, perception, behavior prediction, and path planning aspects are much more demanding for autonomous trucks than for slower-moving robotaxis in the city.

When talking about Tesla’s launch of a robotaxi service in Austin in June, Krafcik didn’t mince his words:

“There are many ways to fake a robotaxi service.”

Tesla is expected to launch a ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas, starting this June, using its vehicles without human drivers.

However, while some Tesla fans are hailing this as CEO Elon Musk finally making true on his promise to deliver robotaxi, it is far from its promise of delivering robotaxi-level self-driving in all Tesla vehicles built since 2016.

As we previously reported, Tesla is expected to use an internal fleet backed by teleoperation support in a geo-fenced and mapped area of Austin. It is a service similar to what Waymo has been offering for years, which Musk has often criticized for not being scalable.

Electrek’s Take

Krafcik makes some great points about the Cybercab. Tesla is limiting itself by insisting on making a “dedicated robotaxi vehicle” that it also plans to sell to consumers.

This creates aesthetic limitations, as Tesla doesn’t want big sensors with cleaning devices visible on the vehicle’s roof. The result is a lesser robotaxi.

It’s also true that the Cybercab’s form-factor as a coupe doesn’t make much sense for a taxi, self-driving or not.

Finally, I do share Krafcik’s concerns about Tesla “faking” its robotaxi launch – although “faking” might not be exactly the correct term. It simply nowhere near what Musk has been promising Tesla customers for years, which is that their vehicles bought since 2016 would be self-driving without driver supervision.

It isn’t the case and it doesn’t look like it is anything close to it.

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Block bets on lending expansion after stock slump

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Block bets on lending expansion after stock slump

In this photo illustration, the logo for the US tech firm “Block” is displayed and reflected in a number of digital screens on March 03, 2023 in London, England. 

Leon Neal | Getty Images

With its stock down more than 30% this year and revenue growth slowing, Jack Dorsey’s Block is going bigger in lending.

The company on Thursday said it secured approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to originate loans through its banking subsidiary, Square Financial Services, allowing it to offer small-dollar consumer loans directly rather than relying on external banking partners.

It’s an expansion of Cash App Borrow, the company’s short-term lending product. But it comes at a time of increased concerns surrounding consumer credit, with President Trump’s expansive tariffs and widespread government job cuts raising talk of a potential recession.

Transaction losses in Block’s lending segment jumped 39% last quarter, and while the company claims its underwriting model is strong, small-dollar lending is inherently risky.

“Cash App Borrow is designed to provide short-term cash flow in a simple and accessible way when alternatives are notoriously expensive and difficult for consumers to navigate,” Block said in the press release. The company added that the average Cash App Borrow loan was under $100 and about a month in duration.

Block didn’t immediately provide a comment.

In getting approval to operate the lending business out of its own bank, Block says it will be able to offer the product nationwide.

Last month, Block reported quarterly results that missed Wall Street expectations, with revenue growing just 4.5% from a year earlier. The stock plunged 18%, its worst one-day drop since 2020.

Around the same time, Block rolled out Afterpay, its buy now, pay later product, on the Cash App card. Chief Financial Officer Amrita Ahuja told CNBC that the launch aimed to provide customers with more credit options, and positioned Cash App as a banking alternative for some customers. Block acquired Afterpay, which competes with Affirm, for $29 billion in early 2022.

Also this week, Block announced a big investment plan in artificial intelligence.

The company said on Wednesday that it will deploy Nvidia’s AI systems with its latest Blackwell chips to power open-source AI research. Block didn’t say what specifically it’s looking to achieve through its AI buildout, but noted in the press release that it will “start exploring novel solutions for our customers.”

WATCH: Block shares drop after earnings

Block shares drop after reporting earnings and revenue miss

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Kia’s first electric van looks even better in person [Video]

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Kia's first electric van looks even better in person [Video]

Kia is launching its first electric van, the PV5, later this year. If you liked how it looked in pictures, wait until you see it in real life. A production PV5 was spotted in Korea for the first time, giving us a closer look at the futuristic van. See it for yourself in the video below.

Kia’s first electric van spotted in Korea

After teasing it for what seemed like forever, Kia finally took the sheets off the PV5 at its 2025 EV Day event last month.

With its hard-to-miss futuristic design, the PV5 is a near replica of the concept shown at CES last January. The mid-size electric van is set to kick off Kia’s new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) strategy.

The PV5 will initially be available in Passenger, Cargo, and Chassis Cab setups, but with “unprecedented flexibility,” you can expect to see more options soon. Two of the first will be the PV5 Crew, with additional cargo securing options and a Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle (WAV) version.

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After that, Kia will follow it up with Drop Side, Box Van, Freezer, Box, and Prime variations. It plans to launch a Light Camper conversion.

Kia PV5 spotted in Korea (Source: HealerTV)

With sales kicking off in the second half of 2025, Kia’s electric van was spotted in Korea for the first time without camouflage. A new video from HealerTV gives us a better idea of what to expect when the PV5 hits dealerships later this year.

The PV5 maintains its techy, almost ahead-of-its-time design. Two exterior body colors were shown: white and a darker grey or black. As the reporter notes, it actually looks like an upgrade from the concept.

Kia did what it could at the back so it didn’t look like a bus, giving it more of a rounded overall shape. You can see how it stands apart from most MPVs you see today.

Like the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, Kia’s PV5 looks more like a minibus. At 4,695 mm long, 1,895 mm wide, and 1,899 mm tall, Kia’s passenger electric van is slightly smaller than the European ID.Buzz model (4,712 mm long, 1,985 mm wide, 1,937 mm tall).

It will be available with 51.5 kWh and 71.2 kWh battery packs, good for up to 400 km (249 miles) WLTP range. The PV5 can also fast charge (10% to 80%) in about 30 minutes. In comparison, powered by an 84 kWh battery, the ID.Buzz now offers up to 293 miles WLTP range.

Kia will launch sales in Korea and Europe later this year, followed by other global markets in 2026. Pre-orders will open soon, so check back for prices.

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Podcast: Trump’s Tesla ad, cheaper Tesla model, Mercedes CLA EV, and more

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Podcast: Trump's Tesla ad, cheaper Tesla model, Mercedes CLA EV, and more

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Trump making an ad for Tesla, upcoming cheaper Tesla models, the unveiling of the new Mercedes CLA EV, and more.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

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We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):

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