A recent power outage in San Francisco not only left thousands of residents without electricity but also caused a significant disruption in the city’s traffic flow due to stranded Waymo autonomous vehicles. The outage, which affected around 130,000 customers, led to Waymo’s self-driving cars coming to a halt at intersections, creating traffic jams and confusion among drivers.
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Videos and photos shared on social media showed Waymo vehicles stopped mid-intersection with hazard lights flashing, forcing other cars to navigate around them. Some instances even showed multiple Waymos piled up in front of a single intersection, exacerbating the congestion caused by the blackout.
The outage, which began around 1:09 PM on Saturday and peaked two hours later, resulted in Waymo suspending its ride-hailing services in the city. The company attributed the disruption to the sheer scale of the outage, causing their vehicles to remain stationary longer than usual to confirm the state of affected intersections.
While Waymo’s technology is designed to treat non-functional signals as four-way stops, the incident highlighted the challenges autonomous vehicles face in adapting to unexpected situations like power outages. The pause in service underscored the importance of having human backup systems in place around highly automated systems, as suggested by experts like Bryan Reimer from the MIT Center for Transportation.
In contrast to Waymo’s struggles, Tesla CEO Elon Musk boasted that Tesla’s robotaxis were unaffected by the power outage, emphasizing the differences in technology and operational approaches between the two companies. Tesla’s ride-hailing service requires a human driver behind the wheel at all times, providing a level of supervision that Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles lack.
The incident in San Francisco serves as a reminder that cities may not yet be fully prepared for the widespread integration of highly automated vehicles on their streets. As autonomous technology continues to advance, regulators, developers, and city officials will need to address the challenges posed by unexpected events like power outages to ensure the safe and efficient operation of autonomous vehicles in urban environments.
Despite the temporary setback, Waymo has since resumed its robo-taxi service in San Francisco, with the company expressing its commitment to ensuring its technology adjusts to traffic flow during such events. The incident highlights the ongoing evolution and adaptation required in the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles to navigate real-world challenges effectively.
#Waymo #AutonomousVehicles #SanFranciscoPowerOutage #TrafficChaos #EthicalAI
References:
– The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/news/848843/waymo-san-francisco-power-outage
– Tech Slashdot: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/21/2048257/confused-waymos-stopped-in-intersections-during-san-francisco-power-outage?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
– Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-vehicles-are-operating-again-in-san-francisco-following-a-power-outage-112924838.html?src=rss
– The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/us/waymo-suspended-service-in-san-francisco-after-problems-during-power-outage.html
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