San Francisco Power Outage Stalls Self-Driving Cars

A significant power outage in San Francisco over the weekend caused tens of thousands of residents to lose electricity, leading to widespread disruptions. The widespread blackout directly impacted Waymo's self-driving car service, with numerous vehicles coming to a standstill at darkened traffic signals. This resulted in traffic gridlock and frustration for other motorists caught in the unexpected congestion.

Waymo temporarily suspended its ride-hailing operations in the Bay Area following the city's outreach due to the significant gridlock its vehicles were contributing to. While Waymo vehicles are designed to handle situations like non-functional traffic signals by treating them as four-way stops, the sheer scale of this particular outage led to vehicles remaining stationary longer than usual, exacerbating traffic issues.

As of Sunday afternoon, nearly 19,000 electricity customers remained without power, with the local utility aiming for full restoration by Monday. Experts noted the situation was unusual, as autonomous vehicles are typically engineered to operate without consistent wireless networks or power to traffic lights. Waymo stated services resumed shortly after 3:30 p.m. San Francisco time.