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

A widespread power outage in San Francisco impacted around 130,000 customers and caused significant disruptions to Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing services. According to The Verge, numerous Waymo vehicles were stranded in the streets, leading to traffic congestion as they halted at intersections without functioning traffic lights.

Waymo suspended its services temporarily, focusing on the safety of riders and the needs of emergency personnel during the outage, as stated by spokesperson Suzanne Philion. Engadget reported that the outage was due to a fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric substation, which hindered the vehicles' ability to navigate effectively.

Videos shared on social media depicted Waymo cars with their hazard lights on, unable to proceed, raising concerns about the limitations of autonomous technology in infrastructure failures. Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted on social media that Tesla Robotaxis were not affected by the outage, although Tesla’s service requires a human driver, unlike Waymo's fully autonomous approach.

This incident has sparked discussions among experts about the readiness of urban environments for high levels of automation in vehicles, emphasizing the need for robust backup systems. Bryan Reimer from MIT highlighted that this situation illustrates shortcomings in the design and development of autonomous vehicle technologies, suggesting cities must consider regulations concerning the density of these vehicles on their roads.