Blackout Paralyzes Waymo: Robotaxis Stall Across San Francisco, Forcing Service Suspension
A massive power outage in San Francisco caused Waymo's robotaxi fleet to stall across the city, forcing a complete service suspension and highlighting AV infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Waymo suspended its robotaxi service in San Francisco on Saturday evening after a massive power outage left many of its autonomous vehicles stalled on city streets, creating traffic jams and raising questions about the technology's real-world resilience.
Social media platforms were quickly filled with photos and videos showing the Alphabet-owned company's vehicles motionless at intersections and in travel lanes, with human drivers navigating around them. In a statement on Saturday, and reiterated to TechCrunch on Sunday morning, Waymo confirmed the shutdown. "We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the widespread power outage," said spokesperson Suzanne Philion. "Our teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials to monitor infrastructure stability, and we are hopeful to bring our services back online soon."
The company hasn't provided a specific explanation for why its fleet was so dramatically affected. However, a likely culprit is the failure of the city's traffic lights, which went dark during the blackout. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie had warned residents to stay off the roads due to the non-functional lights and disruptions to mass transit. Other theories suggest potential interruptions in cellular service or the flow of traffic data that the vehicles rely on.
According to SFGate, the blackout appears to have been caused by a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) substation. The outage initially impacted around 120,000 customers, with 35,000 still without power as of Sunday morning, according to the report.
Authors
Related Articles
Tesla expanded its driverless robotaxi to Dallas and Houston, even after reporting 14 crashes in Austin. What does this tell us about how autonomous vehicles actually get built?
A U.S. Senate investigation found that seven autonomous vehicle companies — including Waymo and Tesla — refused to disclose how often remote operators intervene in their vehicles. Here's why that silence matters.
Uber and WeRide have launched fully driverless robotaxi service in Dubai — no safety operator, real fares. Here's what it means for the global AV race and your next ride.
Uber partners with China's Pony AI and Croatia's Verne to launch Europe's first commercial robotaxi service. Is this a survival strategy or a sign that the ride-hail giant is ceding its future to others?
Tesla expanded its driverless robotaxi to Dallas and Houston, even after reporting 14 crashes in Austin. What does this tell us about how autonomous vehicles actually get built?
A U.S. Senate investigation found that seven autonomous vehicle companies — including Waymo and Tesla — refused to disclose how often remote operators intervene in their vehicles. Here's why that silence matters.
Uber and WeRide have launched fully driverless robotaxi service in Dubai — no safety operator, real fares. Here's what it means for the global AV race and your next ride.
Uber partners with China's Pony AI and Croatia's Verne to launch Europe's first commercial robotaxi service. Is this a survival strategy or a sign that the ride-hail giant is ceding its future to others?
Thoughts
Share your thoughts on this article
Sign in to join the conversation