Waymo Robotaxis Face Challenges During San Francisco Blackout

A significant power outage in San Francisco left approximately 130,000 customers without electricity on Saturday, disrupting traffic and stranding many Waymo robotaxis in the city. According to The Guardian, the blackout caused traffic signals to fail, leading to autonomous vehicles stopping abruptly in the middle of streets, creating hazardous conditions for human drivers.

Waymo confirmed it had to suspend its driverless ride-hailing service throughout the area, with spokesperson Suzanne Philion stating that teams were working closely with city officials to restore services soon.

Social media showed multiple Waymo vehicles immobilized at intersections, as human drivers were forced to navigate around them. TechCrunch reported that Waymo vehicles struggled to adjust to the non-functioning traffic lights, which should typically be treated as four-way stops.

The outage was attributed to a fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric substation. According to Gizmodo, Waymo's system was unable to manage the unexpected failure of traffic signals effectively, raising concerns about the reliability of autonomous vehicles in critical situations.

Bryan Reimer, a research scientist at MIT, remarked that the incident highlighted design flaws in autonomous vehicle technology, indicating that cities may not be prepared for widespread deployment of such vehicles without robust backup systems.

Following the blackout, Waymo resumed services by Sunday afternoon, asserting a commitment to learn from the incident and improve their technology's adaptability to unforeseen events.