Waymo's Self-Driving Cars Stranded During San Francisco Power Outage

Waymo's self-driving cars were left stranded in San Francisco during a recent power outage that affected the city's traffic lights. According to Engadget, the outage, caused by a fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric substation, impacted approximately 130,000 customers starting around 1:09 p.m. on a Saturday.

Waymo suspended its ride-hailing services in the Bay Area, with spokesperson Suzanne Philion stating that the company was coordinating with city officials to restore operations. Social media posts showed several Waymo vehicles halted at intersections, prompting some to note that the driverless cars seemed 'confused' without functioning traffic signals.

Local resident Matt Schoolfield reported seeing multiple Waymo vehicles stopped in traffic, blocking roads. Experts, including Bryan Reimer from MIT, suggested that this incident highlights the inadequacies in the design of autonomous driving systems and the need for human backup systems during such disruptions.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the opportunity to remark on X that Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the outage, although Tesla does not have a driverless robotaxi service operating in San Francisco. The situation raises critical questions about the reliability of autonomous technology in urban settings and the integration of such systems with city infrastructure.