San Francisco Blackout Freezes Waymo Fleet, Exposing Critical AV Vulnerability

The Lead: Lights Out, Robocars Stranded

A major power outage that swept across San Francisco this past Saturday didn't just cut electricity to some 130,000 customers; it brought a fleet of Waymo's sophisticated autonomous vehicles to a grinding halt. The incident paralyzed traffic and raised urgent questions about the real-world resilience of today's robotaxi technology.

The Story: One City, Two Responses

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According to utility provider Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the blackout hit the city hard, but its most visible impact was on the streets. As traffic lights went dark, Waymo's all-electric SUVs were effectively immobilized. Social media platforms were quickly flooded with images and videos showing the company's vehicles sitting stationary in intersections, unable to navigate the chaotic, human-driven traffic flow around them.

The resulting gridlock demonstrated a critical dependency. However, a competing narrative quickly emerged. Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage." His claim was seemingly corroborated by videos posted by some Tesla owners, which showed their vehicles navigating the same intersections using the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature. It's important to note these claims originate from the company and its users, not from independent verification.